Three Layer Cake

This soup, or puree, is very easy to make and is good for people with gluten allergies, like Lynn Overhill.  Lynn couldn’t share the Manna From Heaven cakes I brought with me to our interview, so I promised her I’d give her a recipe that she could enjoy.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, it’s ok, just dice the vegetables smaller to shorten cooking time.  If you don’t have a food processor, that’s ok, too.  Just use a potato masher, or anything that will facilitate breaking down the vegetables into a more fluid consistency.

Clean vegetables appropriately.  Cut the rind off the pumpkin (or butternut squash) and cut pumpkin pulp into cubes.  Peel potatoes and cut into cubes.  Slice leek into rounds.  If using fresh pepper, slice in half.  Sauté leek slices and peppers in olive oil for about 3 minutes (or just throw everything in and fill the pot ¾ full).  Add pumpkin, potato, and bouillon cubes.  Fill pot with water, enough to cover the vegetables.  Place dial on highest setting.  After pressure cooker reaches high, cook for 5-7 minutes.

Using a strainer, put only the solid ingredients into a food processor, and pulse until a smooth puree forms.  The broth which remains in the pot may be used to make the puree less dense, if a more liquid soup is preferred.  For gluten tolerant people, and if you have more time, you may also use the remaining liquid to pressure cook two handfuls of barley.  It takes about 20 minutes on high, and then just add the contents of the pressure cooker to the rest of the soup.  Adding some warmed leftover rice is also just as good.  Makes enough soup for four regular people or two greedy ones.

You can experiment with the proportions of pumpkin to potato, to get the taste you prefer.  Leeks are wonderful, but using too many leaves the soup stringy even after pureeing.