I first discovered the pairing of pumpkin and apple in soup form in the fall, from the food magazine Oma Maitse. Back then, it was a more elaborate recipe combining butternut squash and apple with some cream cheese, other ingredients, and kale on top. It was a wonderfully comforting soup that I even served to a group of American bachelors at my home restaurant — they loved it, and I was delighted. Step by step, though, I started adapting the recipe to suit my own preferences and eventually arrived at something quite different.

Lately, I’ve learned to appreciate clean, simple flavors. I use fewer spices than before, usually sticking to just salt and pepper. Garlic holds a place of honor in my kitchen as a natural flavor enhancer. The pure taste of vegetables is wonderfully satisfying and leaves more room to play with flavor combinations. This soup is made from very simple ingredients — pumpkin, carrot, apple, and broth. The recipe actually came out of a practical need to prepare lunch for a large group using whatever ingredients were on hand, and as usual, the pantry selection was limited. After making this soup dozens of times, I finally decided to grab a piece of paper and write down what exactly I was putting into it. Honestly, it wasn’t that easy, because I realized I had no idea about the exact quantities or even the precise ingredients I usually tossed in — most of my cooking happens by instinct: taste as you go and add a little something here and there. After a few attempts, though, I managed to scribble down the recipe, and it seems to work well.

Making the soup is pleasantly simple — peel and chop the vegetables, boil them in broth until soft, then blend everything into a smooth purée. It’s the perfect meal for a weekday evening. In our family, soup-making is a shared activity — little Uku-Robin, who is almost two years old, has already become quite good at peeling carrots and is always at the table whenever it’s time to cook.