Monday 26 September 2011

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Cumin

My Loves Kitchen Play List: John Lennon ~ Borrowed Time
                                                       Pixies ~ Here Comes Your Man
                                                       Bob Dylan ~ Talking World War 111
                                                       Morrissey ~ Shoplifter of the World
                                                       Catatonia ~ Valerian
                                                       Van Morrison ~ Domino
                                                       (Argh! lol ~R~)

It feels shocking to admit that I haven't always been a fan of soup. Until I bought Rose Elliot's cookbook, Low Fat, Low Sugar

My experience with soup had been the horrific tinned variety or homemade ones made with chicken stock or worse..beef stock. Thankfully the latter experiences were very few and only when visiting other people's houses. I knew after one visit..never ask for soup! lol. 

My Love is a big fan of soup and so when I bought the cook book above I started experimenting. Now the first one I tried blew my mind..(Carrot and Lentil Soup)..then fueled by my new found love I made this one the next day. And.Hated.It! There just wasn't words for how much I disliked it. So you are probably asking yourself why I'm blogging about it today? lol. 

I realised that it was simply a case of tastebuds...it was at the very beginning of my veganism. My tastebuds had been used to processed and often cheesy foods so I couldn't fully appreciate the flavours of this soup. My love loved it from the first mouthful! So I tried it again some months later and realised it was a fantastic soup. Yes it's sweet but butternut squash just is...and it's rich. You feel spoilt whilst you're eating it. It's a thing of beauty. lol. 

So as we had a butternut squash sat waiting to be used, we decided that this would be the soup to start our detox lunches with. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Cumin
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Cumin Serves 4 
(Recipe from Low Fat, Low Sugar/Elliot)

1 butternut squash
1 onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp cumin
600ml/20fl oz veggie stock or water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400'F/200'C/Gas Mark 6. Cut the squash into half, down through it's stem, Scoop out the seeds, then put the halves cut side down on to a baking try and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until they are tender, turning them over about half way through cooking time. 

Tender roasted butternut
Cool. Scoop the flash away from the skin using a spoon and discard the skin. All this can be done well in advance, if convenient.  

Put the onion into a non-stick pan, cover and cook gently for about 7 minutes, until the onion is tender and lightly browned, stirring from time to time. Add the garlic and cumin, stir over the heat for a few seconds, until the cumin smells aromatic, then add the squash flesh and the stock or water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to boil gently for about 10 minutes, to allow all the flavours to blend and to ensure everything is cooked. Puree in a food processor or blender. Add a little more stock or water if necessary to get the consistency to your liking. Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Enjoy! 
~R~