Butternut squash soup

Roasted butternut squash

In my youth a pumpkin was for carving and squash came in a bottle with the word Robinsons on the front. Now I’m older and much more food aware I use squashes in cooking often. They are easy to grow and very versatile.

Butternut squashes are around all the time it seems so this recipe references them but feel free to substitute with any hard squash or pumpkin you have bought or grown. Turks Turban squashes, onion squash or the delicious Crown Prince are all varieties I have grown and recommend.

Anyway, the recipe. Now this is a recipe I make often so therefore have no real recipe. Ill give it my best shot but you may need to tweek for your own taste.

Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 onion finely sliced
• 1 large butternut squash chopped (don’t bother peeling)
• 250 ml milk
• 500 ml stock
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 225c

Chop the squash into large chunks, deseed but don’t peel. The peel comes off after roasting and peeling a squash is a waste of energy and perfectly good swear words.

Place the chunks of squash onto a solid baking tray, drizzle with oil and season well with salt and pepper.

Roast for 45 minutes to an hour. A skewer needs to slide in and out of the flesh with little resistance.

Leave to cool whilst you begin the soup proper.

In a large saucepan gently cook down the onions until they are a sticky golden unctuous mess.

Peel the now cooled squash and add to the pan along with the milk and half the stock.

Bring up to a simmer, and cook for five minutes or so. Either use a masher to break up the squash to give you a chunky soup or use the immersion blender for a smoother soup.

Thin down to your preferred consistency using the remaining stock.

There is usually lots of this but it freezes well. Why not use washed out milk bottles to store your spare soup. Only fill 3/4 full though. Remember water expands as it freezes (turns on teacher mode.)

Butternut Soup with bacon crumbles

This recipe can be pimped with all manner of bits and bobs. A rasher or two of crispy bacon, depth charged with a few cubes of mozzarella, scattered with crispy fried shallots or just adorned with a huge hunk of freshly made bread. Actually a rasp of nutmeg would do the trick come to think of it.

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