We had invited some neighbours for lunch, forgetting that it would be Thanksgiving. Never too late to make a gesture. I will make pumpkin soup (two large pumpkins still remain from our bumper crop this year) and a cheese cake, not a New York cheesecake but a Sicilian one from the recipe in Skye Gyngell’s very sensible cookbook, How I Cook. Our guests, Rosemary and Hugh Kerridge, are always fun. Their travels, interest in ballet, and Rosemary’s great spirit make us look forward to their company.

Pumpkin, roast pepper and tomato soup

Pumpkin is sweet but bland. It does, however, make a good basis for soup. I have not given a list of  ingredients or measurements for this soup as it really depends on what you have to hand. Add carrots, if you want, or potatoes or leeks. Lentils work well too. Add extra vegetables to the roasted vegetables and tomato mixture and let it cook until all the vegetables are soft and purée the soup before serving.  Fry the onions in butter to give extra richness but you could fry them in oil and add a little cream.

Put as many tomatoes as will fit into a large saucepan. Cover with a lid and leave in a hot oven (190°C) for about 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the juice begins to run. Press through a sieve when cool enough to handle.

In separate dishes place pieces of pumpkin (skinned and de-seeded)  and red peppers (de-seeded and cut into slices). Toss both with olive oil and roast in a hot until soft and browning on some edges. When cool enough, turn to pulp in a blender.

Finely chop an onion and fry gently in butter until soft. Add a pinch of chilli flakes and stir around. Put into a saucepan or casserole dish and add the puréed tomato, the pulped roasted vegetables, extra vegetables of your choice, a tablespoon or two of lentils and herbs such as parsley or thyme. Season.

Cook gently for 20 minutes or so until all the vegetables are soft, remove the herbs if added in a bunch, then blend once more and  and serve hot.

Ricotta cheesecake

2 tbsp sultanas

2 tbsp Madeira or Marsala

1 tbsp warm water

500g ricotta cheese

250g marscapone

150g icing sugar

4 eggs

Grated zest 1 orange

grated zest 1 lemon

4 tbsp candied peel, chopped

60g pine nuts (optional)

Oven at 170°C

Put the sultanas in a bowl with the Madeira (or Marsala) and warm water for  20 minutes for the sultanas to plump up.

Line the base and sides of a 23 cm diameter loose bottomed cake tin with baking parchment.

Place the ricotta and marscapone in a bowl, sieve in the icing sugar and beat well. In a separate bowl lightly beat the eggs and add to the mixture by degrees. Add the drained sultanas, orange and lemon zest, candied peel and half the pine nuts (if using). Gently stir with a wooden spoon and  turn the mixture into the cake tin. sprinkle over the remaining pine nuts.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, checking from time to time. The cake is done when it feels ‘lightly firm’. Leave to cool in the tin before turning it out. Keep in a fridge before serving..

I have added vanilla essence and replaced the pine nuts with crushed pistachios (added in one go along with the sultanas etc) for a variation on this recipe.