Squash Soup

Another newish ingredient for us is squash, I had seen it a lot in stores and it had cropped up every now and again on cooking shows or on the internet, whilst I was searching for other recipes, I had, had no idea about it until then and I wanted to give it a try, but I wasn’t sure if we would like it, so I needed to go safe. I found a J.O recipe and decided that it was probably a safe bet, I have tried a number of his recipes and so far none have let me down. It didn’t disappoint and now we eat it fairly regularly. Our local store sells it in disposable roasting trays already peeled and chopped, ready to bung in the oven, I absolutely love it roasted with, cracked black pepper, olive oil and a little garlic. I could easily eat it all for myself yummy! Anyway this recipe is definitely worth giving a go.

Squash Soup

Olive oil

8 sage leaves

1 red onion, peeled and chopped

1-2 carrots peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 sprig of rosemary leaves

1 red chilli deseeded and chopped

Salt and black pepper to taste

1kg butternut squash, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 litre of vegetable stock

Extra virgin olive oil

1.       In a large saucepan heat about a tablespoon of olive oil, add the sage and fry until it is dark green and crisp, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on kitchen paper. Put the oil back on the heat and add the onion, carrot, rosemary, garlic, chilli and salt and pepper, cooking gently until the vegetables are soft. Add the squash and stock, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes.

2.       When the squash is cooked through, using a hand blender if you have one, whizz until you have a puree, you could leave it a little chunky if you prefer, but I like mine smooth. If you don’t have a hand blender, carefully pour the stock into a jug, mash the vegetables using a potato masher and then re-add the stock. Serve with your sage leaves if you like and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top.

.