I just “celebrated” my 8th month anniversary of being unemployed. While I knew that it was going to be hard to find a job, I had no idea that it would be as exhausting as what it has turned out to be. Thankfully, cooking–and by default this blog–has become my unemployment therapy.

I’ve always enjoyed cooking (and of course eating), but since getting laid off, I have become the primary chef in the house after Carlo taking the lead for the last 8 years. Thinking about what I’m going to cook, grocery shopping, and then actually cooking takes up a large portion of my unemployed life, which helps add some structure and significance to days that are largely indistinguishable from one day to the next. Cooking makes me happy, and I love making something that Carlo enjoys. Plus I like sharing my cooking adventures with y’all too.

On Monday when I was super down in the dumps about not getting this job that I wanted, I knew that I had to get into the kitchen and cook something even if we did have Beef, Guinness, and Cheese Pie leftovers for dinner. I decided to make this Mexican Pumpkin Soup that my old friend Tina from Wales was raving about and which is in the great cookbook that she gave me last month when she visited Vegas.

The meditative process of chopping vegetables and pureeing made me forget about my crappy afternoon. Instead I focused on the delicious soup that I was making and how it would nourish me and Carlo, both literally and metaphorically. Making the soup made me think of my friend Tina and all of the good times we had together at the UEA Union Bar all those years ago, and it made me wish that I had more friends and family in Vegas with whom I could share this soup.

I’m a firm believer that any food that you put love into tastes great, but this soup was a knockout winner with its spicy sweet flavour and the crunchy flavorful topping. Plus it seemed to have magical powers in chasing the blues away. This Mexican Pumpkin Soup recipe makes enough for 6 bowls at $1.40 per serving.

Mexican Pumpkin Soup, adapted from the Riverford Farm Cook Book
1 pumpkin or butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
14 ounce can of chopped tomatoes
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
14 ounce can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce or garlic chilli sauce
juice of 1 lime, or more to taste
1/2 chopped cilantro
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To garnish the soup:
tortilla chips, crushed
grated cheddar cheese
2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pumpkin or squash cubes on a roasting tray and toss them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and generously season with some salt and pepper. Put the pumpkin in the oven and let the cubes roast for 40 minutes, until they are slightly golden.

While the pumpkin is cooking, heat the rest of the olive oil in a large pan and add the onions. Cook the onions for 20 minutes until they are tender and slightly caramelized. Stir in the paprika, garlic, and chillies and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and let them simmer for 15 minutes or until the base is reduced and thick. Stir in the roasted pumpkin.

Add a little bit of the stock and begin pureeing the soup using a hand blender. Slowly add the stock and continue to puree until everything is well combined. Bring the soup to a boil and add the kidney beans and corn. Season well, adding the cilantro, chilli sauce, and lime juice to taste. Let everything simmer for 10 more minutes.

To serve the dish, top with crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, and diced avocado.