My husband used to hate soup. He always found it too greasy, too salty, too thick ...
That is, until he started making it himself. Now he is a very fine soup maker and I often come home on a Thursday, after an evening in a freezing cold kitchen baking with the Swindon Young Carers, to a delicious freshly made soup and crusty bread.
So I usually leave the soup to him, but I wanted to have a go myself. I think it's worth the bit of extra time to roast the butternut squash and get that really sweet flavour. It's quite heavily spiced but without too much heat, so that the flavour of the squash still comes through.
I wanted this to be as well spiced as a curry would be, and if you wanted, you could leave out the stock, ditch the blending and simply stir through the chunks of roast squash at the end for a gorgeous veg curry.
That is, until he started making it himself. Now he is a very fine soup maker and I often come home on a Thursday, after an evening in a freezing cold kitchen baking with the Swindon Young Carers, to a delicious freshly made soup and crusty bread.
So I usually leave the soup to him, but I wanted to have a go myself. I think it's worth the bit of extra time to roast the butternut squash and get that really sweet flavour. It's quite heavily spiced but without too much heat, so that the flavour of the squash still comes through.
I wanted this to be as well spiced as a curry would be, and if you wanted, you could leave out the stock, ditch the blending and simply stir through the chunks of roast squash at the end for a gorgeous veg curry.
Ingredients:
640g butternut squash
4 shallots
½ tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp cinnamon
½ ground fenugreek
100g red lentil
500ml vegtable stock
400ml reduced fat coconut milk
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp nigella seeds
How to make it:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C/gas 3.
2. Cut the squash into large chunks and peel (or better still buy it pre-prepared).
3. In a bowl, drizzle the squash with a tbsp of oil and mix to make sure all the squash is coated. Spread out on a baking tray covered with grease proof paper and put in the oven for an hour and 15 mins.
4. Chop the shallots roughly and fry for a few minutes until they start to soften.
5. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and all the spices. Fry on a medium to high heat for a few minutes. Don't let the spices burn, if you think they might, add a few tbsp of warm water.
6. Add the lentils and stir into the spice and shallot mixture for minute.
7. Add the stock and coconut milk and stir thoroughly.
8. Add the tamarind paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
9. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low heat. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the squash from the oven and add to the pan.
11. Remove from the heat and use a stick blender to blend to a very smooth texture. If it seems a bit too thick, add some warm water.
12. Return the pan to the heat and warm through.
13. Serve topped with a tsp of nigella seeds to add some earthiness and some buttered naan.
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