Well despite the lack of chill in the air these past few weeks the leaves have started changing colour and the clocks have gone back, so it feels that autumn is well and truly here again. Its arrival has made me want to get ready for winter and I've been making lots of soup for the freezer. Soaking split peas for split pea and ham soup (from River Cottage Everyday)
and roasting butternut squash for Squash & Cumin soup (recipe from my mum)
To serve 6:
3 teaspoons of cumin seed
1 teaspoon of coriander seed
1 teaspoon of caraway seed
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
olive oil
1 medium squash (either butternut or onion) around 1kg in weight
2 large onions
3 garlic cloves
50gms butter
750ml stock (vegetable or chicken)
220ml creme fraiche
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 190 degrees / gas mark 5. Cut the squash in half and remove all of the seeds, place in a roasting dish, drizzle over the olive oil and bake in the oven for up to an hour until soft. Toast all of the spice seeds in a dry pan and grind to a powder.
Finely chop the onions and garlic and sweat in the butter until they are soft and translucent. Set aside until the squash is done. Scrape the roasted squash flesh from the skin and put in a deep pan with the onions, ground spices and stock. Simmer for a few minutes. Add the creme fraiche and blend to a thick, smooth soup. Good to eat with warm crusty olive bread.
Even my knitting has been touched by autumnal colours – I've been working on a very soft and very decadent new scarf in gorgeous pure cashmere (Jade Sapphire 8ply cashmere in Chamomile). I've gone for a very simple garter stitch because when the yarn is this special I don't think it needs fancy stitches.
These autumny pursuits have inspired Amy and I to write another bit of kitchen poetry…
When autumn comes a-knocking
Amy and I make soup,
We also kick through fallen leaves
and shop for yarn at Loop!
Poem by Amy & Julie
Making preparations for winter is something lots of people are doing at the moment and there's a wonderful project just started by Silverpebble and Thriftyhousehold called Making Winter which aims to celebrate all of the lovely things that winter brings. So if you fancy sharing some of your favourite wintery things pop over and join in x
little cotton rabbits 
This post is filled with my current favourite colour. That yarn is beautiful and I expect the scarf will be divine Julie. Thanks so much for joining in with Making Winter.
LikeLike
Love the cashmere scarf! I think knitted scarves are one of the few good things about winter – I have joined in Making Winter mainly because I need to change my negative attitude about it!
Pomona x
LikeLike
Hi Julie, What delightful poetry. I can just envision both you and Amy putting your heads together to write this kitchen poem. Thanks for sharing your Squash&Cumin soup recipe… sounds delicious. It’s on my list to make and it won’t be long as there is definitely quite a chill in the air here in Canada. I love the color you have chosen for your new scarf and no doubt you will find it cozy on snowy, blustery days this winter. I’m off to check out Making Winter. Best wishes and God bless, Peggy
LikeLike
What a gorgeous autumnal colour for your scarf, it looks amazingly cozy! I love it so much I’ve just ‘Pinned’ it!
LikeLike
Loving that scarf, which is decadent indeed! Such beautiful yarn, and in such a sweet seasonal colour 😀
LikeLike
What a lovely blog, looks like you’re all set for winter with those wonderful soup recipies and gorgeous scarf. I love butternut squash soup, so thankyou for sharing! best wishes, Brenda
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing that scrummy recipe! I love your simple garter stitch.
Leah x
LikeLike
Soaking split peas & roasting butternut squash, what could be more autumnal in the kitchen than that? (Thanks for jogging my memory- I also have a favourite butternut squash soup recipe but ‘forgot’ to make it last year!)
Also a big thank you for joining in the Making Winter Project (I am quite determined to get Emma to fall in love with winter-any help is much appreciated!)
LikeLike
Mmmmm, that squash soup sounds yummy and you knitting is gorgeous!!
S x
LikeLike
I want soup right now. We’re wet and windy and chill. Suddenly. I wasn’t ready for it. I think I wouldn’t have been ready if I’d waited another few weeks. Now, I just want to sleep. I will take that scarf, if you please, and put it over my pillow. Right now. I should have been born a bear.
LikeLike
Soup and Loop, definitely two things to get us through the winter!
Thanks for sharing your recipe, I love butternut squash. 🙂
The colour of your scarf is so pretty, in fact the whole post is full of beautiful colour!
Vivienne x
LikeLike
I love split peas. I will look up that recipe asap.
The yarn and scarf look amazingly soft — enjoy!
LikeLike
Always lovely to catch up with you. How do you do this to me, I read your birthday post for Toby, I felt the tears roll down my face, I see the love and the difficulties you face. You inspire me as a mother and indeed as a women. Ofcourse dear Toby I have watched him grow whilst reading your blog over the years. Thank you for sharing this part of your life with us.
LikeLike
Gorgeous scarf and yummy soup-how can Winter be a bad thing?
LikeLike
I love pea and ham soup but will have to wait for our Autumn to roll around again to make some. That Cashmere is yummy and soft looking 🙂
LikeLike
Cute poem too….my mum brought me back some lovley yarn from Loop and a bag 🙂
LikeLike
The squash and cumin soup sounds delicious… thanks for the recipe 🙂
LikeLike
Lovely soup mmmm and brilliant poem!
LikeLike
I also believe that if the yarn is beautiful only simple knitting is required. But it’s nice to hear it from someone else too!
LikeLike
I lovw your scarf, cashmere must be beautiful to work with. And I must try out that recipe for squash soup – I normally just eat squash roasted but teh soup looks yummy. Juliex
LikeLike
Your soup sounds very yummy as we have a storm coming in to our California mountains tomorrow. (snow above 5,000 feet!)
I always love to see what knitting projects you have on your knitting needles, too! Lovely!
LikeLike
I love your kitchen poetry – you and Amy have talent! And your new scarf looks sumptuous!
LikeLike
I love love love your blog! ❤ You’re inspiring, thank you sooo much!
LikeLike
Yellow split pea soup is one of my favourites! Sometimes I leave out the ham and add other finely chopped veggies instead, both ways are delicious.
LikeLike
I can just see the buttery softness of that yarn. What a lovely luxurious scarf it will be.
Thanks also for the recipe. I am trying to learn to like squash (!) but the texture puts me off. Soup seems like a great way to enjoy it and I love cumin and coriander (and cream and onions and garlic and butter). I’ll have to try it.
LikeLike
We have not had that many cold days this year either, but I am looking forward to this weekend because that is when the temp will fall. I think a good bowl of soup will hit the spot then. I really like to pop in to see what is going on in your world. Thanks for being there.
LikeLike
Hi Julie,
I had a look at the yarn you’re using for your scarf and I nearly fell over at the price! I would love to make a special scarf for my mother for christmas though and it does indeed look special. The only thing is I wouldn’t have a clue about dimensions or whether one skein would be enough? I know this is really basic to you so I’m sorry for bothering you with it, but would you possibly let me know. Thank you x
LikeLike
Lovely images Julie … and I love the poem!
LikeLike
Hello Julie, back blogging again after deleting my old bog, Willow House, some years ago and now trying to catch up with old friends. Hope all is well with you, looks like I’ve a lot of reading to do here.
LikeLike
I love your poem! My young niece and I used to make up songs and poems when she was very young. Happily I wrote some of them down…the funniest one was called “I Hate Underwear Too!” Now she is expecting her first child and she asked if I was planning on singing it to the new arrival. I just might 🙂
LikeLike
🙂 Sweet poem… I just love your bunnies. Why cant there be 5 of you whippin gthose little cuties up… Have a sweet day..
LikeLike
Your poem is delicious as is the scarf you are making.
LikeLike