I am in Tilba with my very good friends and we have just picked the first pumpkin from the ‘orto’.

•  heated the oven at 150˚

• put the pumpkin in whole and let it cook for about 4 hours
• to make sure it is cooked, pierce it with a skewer, it should be soft

• cut the top off and remove the pips
• scoop out the remaining pumpkin flesh
• in a large saucepan heat some good chicken or vegetable stock
• add a piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 chilly, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• then the pumpkin flesh and cook for about 15 minutes
• taste for salt and pepper
• chop some fresh Italian parsley and basilico and add to the soup

• we roasted some chestnuts on the fire, sliced them and added them to the soup
• it was so delicious!
• add a little olive oil on top of the soup