This month, I decided to try a recipe I'd found in my Lorraine Pascale cook book: Butternut Squash with Chilli and Ginger. It sounded heavenly and so easy to make too. I adapted it slightly to my own taste.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
2 garlic cloves
2cm piece of ginger
Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp of chilli flakes
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
50g butter
Salt and pepper
1 lime
Let's cook it!
Cut your butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. Score the butternut squash with a knife and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Place them in a roasting tin and add your 2 garlic cloves, still with their skin on. Put them in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 35 minutes or until the butternut squash is soft on the inside.
About 25 minutes into your roasting time, add some extra virgin olive oil to a soup pot along with your butter and chopped onions. Add some salt and pepper and gently fry the onion for about 20 minutes.
Remove the butternut squash from the oven and allow it to cool. Once cooled, remove the butternut squash from its skin and place in a bowl. Into the soup pot add your chilli flakes, ginger and butternut squash and then pour in your stock. I used pre-packed liquid stock and made up the stock as per the pack instructions.
Bring the soup to the boil and then remove from the heat. Place the soup into a blender or food processor to make it really smooth. Once it is completely smooth, place it back in the soup pot and squeeze in your lime juice to taste. I used the full lime. Reheat and serve.
You could add some cream or coconut milk to the soup on serving or whilst cooking. Just remember you can not freeze the soup if you add the cream. I didn't feel it needed any cream as it was lovely and smooth with a real kick from the chilli flakes.
