Roasted Pumpkin Soup

The supermarkets always have left over pumpkins at Halloween. Great for autumn and winter.

• 2.5 pounds peeled pumpkin, chopped roughly
• 1 head of garlic (skin removed)
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4 cups chicken stock (you might need less, depends on how thick you want the soup)
• ¼ cup milk (you can use cream, but milk is better for you)
• Glug fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place pumpkin, garlic and a dash of salt and pepper into a large bowl. Mix in the olive oil making sure to cover each piece of pumpkin. Cover a baking sheet with aluminium foil, and place the pumpkin and the garlic on the tray.

Roast pumpkin for about 35 - 45 minutes or until they turn brown. You'll notice that they'll start to glaze (good thing!). The garlic and the pumpkin should both be very soft when you push a fork in.

Remove from oven and let the tray cool until you can handle the individual pieces of pumpkin with bare hands. Get out the food processor and blend the pumpkin and garlic until smooth (you may have to do several batches). Add a cup or two of stock to each batch to the desired thickness. Transfer each batch to a large pot, add the remaining spices and lemon juice. Simmer the mixture for another 15 minutes, add the milk and serve!

Note: This soup freezes well, so you make lots and save it for a cold winter day.