A Dollar of Pumkin

Yesterday at the fruit market pumpkins were $2. Couldn’t resist buying one.

This morning I made soup. Fried up a chopped onion in the big pot, then added chopped up pumpkin (only used half), two chopped carrots, a potato and some celery. To this I added brown rice, red lentils and split peas that I had soaked overnight. (Not much – just about a tablespoon of each).

When all this started to smell delicious as it gently fried, I added about 2 litres of water and three chicken stock cubes.

From the freezer I took containers of chicken stock made from the remains of long-ago-eaten chicken and added about one litre of that and stirred in half a teaspoon each of salt and curry powder. Once the soup was gently bubbling away I left it to simmer for a couple of hours.
 
Later (when the soup is cooled a little) I will puree it in the food processor, together with herbs from the garden, including parsley, rosemary, garlic chives and a little mint.
Tonight, it will be served hot with a sprinkle of extra parsley and a blob of Greek yoghurt. We will eat it with a thick slice of warm buttered Turkish bread.
Yum!

Now, I know that there are only two of us to eat this, but it will do for about three meals. And yes, I know that the energy needed to cook the soup probably cost a small amount (even taking into account our solar panels) and the vegetables and other additions originally cost something  – as did the Turkish bread…BUT it will be a delicious and filling meal and all for $1 pumpkin +.
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Can’t help but have a feeling of smugness as I contemplate my old-fashioned frugality!