About the Recipe
Butternut squash is one of the most readily available & the cheapest of squashes; nevertheless it should not be overlooked in its humble nature. Personally, I believe it tastes best caramelised but you can decide how to cook it. It’s really that versatile. Below you can find a quick soup that is not only creamy but has a bit of a kick, could there be any better combo? 😉
Equipment: oven, roasting tray, baking paper
Ingredients
1 large or 2 small butternut squashes
Rapeseed oil
2 onions
2 tbsp. coconut oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
2 thumb size pieces of ginger, peeled & finely chopped
½ tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
5 cardamom pods
½ tsp. chilli flakes
2 carrots, peeled (if not organic) & chopped
1 tbsp. vegetable bouillon
1 can of light (or full) fat coconut milk (depends on how thick you like it)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Coriander leaves & roasted pumpkin seeds, to serve
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 220° C.
2. Peel the butternut squash, remove the pips, cut into 2 cm cubes. Lay out on a roasting tray with baking paper and, using a silicon pastry brush, spread the rapeseed oil over the baking paper. Place the butternut squash on top and toss it around a little, covering the cubes with oil. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden.
3. In the meantime, peel & chop the onions. Melt the coconut oil in a cooking pot, add the onions and – constantly stirring – fry on high heat for 5 minutes, until translucent. Turn down the heat to low, add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, chilli and fry for another 2-3 minutes, stirring (do not allow the garlic to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn!).
4. Add the carrots, vegetable bouillon and 1 litre of water. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Once the butternut squash is ready, add it to the soup, add coconut milk, salt & pepper and blend it altogether.
6. Serve warm with chopped coriander leaves and a sprinkle of roasted pumpkin seeds on top.