pumpkin, rice, and leek soup
a comforting and golden bowl for November
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Another soup for you today! The weather has cooled, and we are having some blustery days, which translates in the kitchen to soup, lots of soup, which I never tire of. Every few days, I’ll make more soup to have in the fridge for lunch for a few days- there’s nothing I dislike more than cooking for lunch, I find it such a slog to do in the middle of the day. In the evening, cooking dinner feels so cozy and is my ideal way to begin to slow the day’s pace. Especially with daylight savings and the evenings being dark very early now- I find so much pleasure and satisfaction in winding the day down in the kitchen, bringing warmth and life to the house.
Our kitchen is always where we all congregate, but even more so in the cold months. In November, I bring a small lamp into the kitchen which lives on the counter until spring, which casts a lovely, warm glow that is much nicer than the strong overhead lights. Sometimes a candle joins in, too- in these darker months, especially, you have to bring in warmth and light in as many ways as possible, both emotionally and physically. To make the darkness and cold an opportunity for ceremony. Otherwise, I can tend to find the dark and fading colors of the landscape quite sad. I may have spoken about this before, but I used to loathe the dark winter months. Maybe 5 years ago or so, I decided I’d really pay attention to the beauty and possibilities of this season, and that little flip of perspective made all the difference for me. I now appreciate so many little things about it- the extra time in the evenings everyone spends together, the twinkling lights of candles on gloomy days, the way frost makes everything sparkle in the morning, the loveliness of the black bare branches making patterns against the sky. Hot water bottles warming up the bed before you get in every night. How cozy it is to be out in the cold and then come in to a crackling fire, or a bubbling pot of soup on the stove.
Anyways, today’s soup- this is a backbone I use often this time of year- a thyme-laced brothy soup with comforting, tender rice and studded with chickpeas and whatever other vegetables I’ve got to hand. It’s very good with cabbage, but today I had a half kabocha sitting in the fridge and needing to be used. I thought I’d write it down and share it in case you too have a half winter squash or pumpkin needing using up. It’s golden, comforting, and very usueful on a cold, windy November’s day. xx A