Today is my first full day working on the blog, after giving up my career of 15 years as a hairdresser. Last week was quite an emotional week saying goodbye to clients and work colleagues but in the same time very exciting to get working on the blog and making some yummy recipes. On my first trip to the supermarket to set me up for the week, the cashier lady said “what nice ingredients you have, what are you making?” – that put a smile on my face!
As November is here and the weather has changed quite a bit I’ve been having lots of soups for lunch. Its a bit more of the healthier option too, so I thought what a great way to start. It’s the season for butternut squash which is such a great vegetable. Adding spices to this soup really works as butternut squash is rather sweet. You can add more heat to it if you like, just add a bit more cayenne, but be careful you don’t want it to blow your head off, this spice is HOT and goes a long way.
Homemade soup is great to have this time of year, it’s got real goodness and keeps you full for longer. Great for cold days and it will last a good 3 days, if not longer. So that’s lunch sorted for the rest of the week!
This soup is very seasonal and would be great for a Christmas starter! You can make it well ahead as it will be great to freeze.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Cumin
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash cut into quarters
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 celery sticks chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt more if desired
- 1 pinch cayenne chilli pepper more if desired
- 1 tsp ground rosemary
- 4 pieces of seeded bread
- 1 tbsp crème fraîche optional
- 1 1/2 lt vegetable stock
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas 4. Cut the butternut squash into quarters, place on a baking tray and drizzle 2 tsp of olive oil over them. Sprinkle the cumin seeds over each quarter. Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until soft.
- Cut the celery, carrot and onion then put into the saucepan with 1 tsp of olive oil, season with pepper and cook on a medium heat until soft.
- When the butternut squash is ready scoop it out and place it in the saucepan along with the other vegetables.
- Prepare you vegetable stock and pour in a little at a time. Using a blender give your mixture a good blitz until all your stock has gone.
- Add the salt, ground cumin and cayenne chilli pepper then give it another mix. Keep mixing until the consitstansey is nice and smooth. If you like your soup a bit thinner just add a bit of water and mix again.
- Put your soup back on the hob and simmer until warm. Cut the crust off your bread and cut up into squares. Add 1tsp of oil to the frying pan and add your cubes facing down then leave on a medium heat for 2 minutes. Turn the croutons and do the same for the other side. Add your rosemary to infuse in to the croutons. Put the pan into the oven for 4-5 minutes, be sure to keep an eye on them, you don’t want them to burn.
- Serve you soup in a bowl and add a spoonful of creme fresh, this will help cool the spice down. Sprinkle with croutons and enjoy!
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