Red Lentil Chowder with Pumpkin

You can make such a soup and celebrate with pleasure the victory of the strong, but sensible Jacob over the remarkable, but dull strength of Esau. Or you can just keep warm. Because it is always cold in winter, even in Israel.

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash pumpkins, total weight 1 kg
• 3 medium carrots
• 2-3 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 medium parsley roots
• 1 medium celery root
• 3 stalks of leeks (white part)
• 1 head of garlic
• 1.5 cups red lentils
• 2 l chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. tablespoons of ground sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground chili
• 2 tbsp. l. turmeric
• 3 boxes of cardamom
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pumpkin seeds for serving

Directions

1. Peel all vegetables. Cut the pumpkin and remove the seeds, cut into small slices. Chop carrots, sweet potatoes, parsley and celery roots into large pieces, leeks into thin rings, chop the garlic.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, add the leeks and garlic and cook until translucent for 5 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables and cook for another 7 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned.
3. Crush the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Crush them lightly in a mortar. Add to vegetables along with the rest of the spices.
4. Add lentils to vegetables and simmer together for 5-7 minutes.
5. Pour hot broth into a saucepan, bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes. Salt.
6. Mash the vegetables with a pusher or chop with a blender to leave small pieces.
7. Pour the soup into bowls and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.