Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin - about 1.5 kg / 3 lbs is enough for six people
Small red chili - optional
5 pieces of star anise - optional
Clove of garlic - optional
1/2 - 1 liter / approx 1 - 2 pints of milk (low-fat is fine)
Spoonful or two of salt

Peel the pumpkin and cut into smallish chunks. Put the chunks into a big saucepan (if the pan is too small the milk will boil over) and cover with milk. Add about 1/2 red chili; the aim is to make the soup mellow and warmly aromatic, not spicy like curry. Star anise is a great addition but again it's not essential. Some people think garlic is essential, again it's a matter of taste.  Add about a teaspoon of salt. You will probably need a little more later but it's best to taste and adjust at the end. Bring mixture to the boil and simmer gently until the pumpkin is soft (this can take from 1/2 hour to an hour, it depends on the pumpkin).

Whizz all of the solids and some of the liquid in the liquidizer and you get a lovely, surprisingly creamy soup. You probably won't want all the cooking liquid: key is to taste the first liquidized batch and see what you think. If you find the milk overly spicy, replace some of it with fresh milk or cream. You will almost certainly want to add a little more salt.

If you didn't use any of the aromatic spices, you can turn the soup into a simple version of Paul Bocuse's classic Soupe de courge by using a little bit of grated nutmeg in the cooking liquid, substituting cream for some of the cooking liquid, and adding a couple of tablespoons of grated Gruyere cheese at the end.

Impress your friends by adding ginger shrimp
(We got this idea from gourmet.com)

1/2 hour before you are ready to eat, rub shrimp or prawns with about two soupspoons of grated ginger.  One giant shrimp per person is fine, or a couple of small ones. Don't marinate for longer than 1/2 hour since the ginger juice cooks the shrimp if you leave it longer. If you happen to have the barbecue lit for the next course, grill the shrimp for a minute or two; otherwise you can fry for a minute. Cut into bite-size pieces and serve on top of the pumpkin soup.

Another fine marinade for the shrimp is lime juice, Thai fish sauce, some coconut cream or coconut milk as well as the ginger. This is even better than the basic ginger rub.