Easy Butternut Squash Soup.

So I have a confession.. I am a soup addict and fall is the beginning of its season. Butternut squash is a rich filling base (and is my all-time favorite). Chuck in some onions, carrots, and garlic and magic happens. This soup is the perfect appetizer for an upcoming fall dinner party and can be taken to work as lunch the next day. When serving, top with sage leaves, a sprinkle of sea salt, ground pepper, and a swirl of heavy cream (optional).

serves 8-10 (can easily be cut in half)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 small butternut squash, without skins (obvi) and chopped in smallish chunks
• 1 small handful fresh sage, chopped (and more for garnish)
• 9 fresh chicken stock (can use 9 cups water with two chicken stock cubes)
• a pinch of cayenne (optional)
• a little heavy cream
  

DIRECTIONS:

• melt butter and oil in a LARGE pot
  
• add onions and carrot.. sweat for at least 5 min (dont brown)
• add garlic.. cook one more minute
• add squash and stock
• when it comes to the boil add the chopped sage
• boil until squash is tender
• when it is done use a hand blender to smooth.. if you don't have one blend in small batches in an old school blender.
• Top with sage leaf, salt, pepper, and a swirl of heavy cream
• Make some toast to go with it.. mine are in heart shapes. cute right?
  

Stuffed Butternut Squash

OK, so this isn't exactly the most seasonal of dishes, but I think the spices and myriad of colours help pull this roasted squash out of the clutches of winter dining.

It is a wholesome dish that I would relish right now as our brief spell of Spring has scurried behind a blackened, bruised sky. There is a lot of food here so you can either cut it up into quarters and serve four with a trussed up salad, or be brave and share the whole thing with a loved one.

This is one that I have been working on and generally vary every time I eat it. I have also only been cooking it in a normal oven - rather than fan-assisted - meaning it comes out steamed. A quick turn under the grill sorts this out, giving it some colour. The steam effect is great though as it makes the red onions almost melt and go sticky rather than turn out as charred crisps. So here is my final recipe and what I think works best. By all means play around with the spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits that you want to use but I think this is a good place to start.


1 butternut squash

1 red onion

4 cloves of garlic

400g/14 oz lean lamb mince

4 tbsp pine nuts

4 tbsp sultanas

2 tbsp chopped flat leafed parsley

1.5 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

0.5 tsp ground caraway

250g/9 oz couscous

• Preheat the oven to 180 C/350F


• Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. Cut out some of the solid part to create an even amount of flesh throughout the whole squash. Put the cubes of excess squash in a large baking tray with the whole squash. Bruise the garlic cloves and place one in the bottom and top parts of each half. Cut the onion into eighths and scatter amongst the squash. Drizzle everything with some olive oil and season well. Place in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes.


• Whilst the squash is cooking, prepare the couscous to packet instructions - this generally involves covering it in stock and leaving to soak for fifteen minutes or so, fluff up with a fork, season to taste and add some olive oil.


• In a heavy based dry frying pan, on a medium heat, lightly toast the pine nuts and add to the couscous.


• Add the spices to the dry pan and toast lightly for a few minutes then add the lamb, season well, and cook through, breaking up as many lumps as possible to give it a crumbly texture.


• When it has cooked through also add this to the couscous and pine nuts.


• Roughly chop the parsley and add along with the sultanas to the couscous mixture.


• When the butternut squash is cooked through and softened blast it under the grill to crisp off the edges and to give it some pretty colouring.
• Pile the squash high with the couscous mixture - you can keep or remove the garlic depending on your own tastes.
• Serve with a tzatziki or if you are feeling adventurous make a yogurt dip yourself, my personal favourite is: 1.5 tbsp each of dill, flat leaf parsley and mint finely chopped, one small glove of crushed garlic, one small green chili deseeded and finely chopped, two spring onions (scallions) finely chopped, seeds of one pomegranate, one cup of yogurt and mix.
• If you want this veggie then replace the lamb with some feta or even tofu.

If you are serving it in quarters with salad I would suggest some spinach with a pomegranate molasses dressing, some feta (as long as you aren't using it in the squash), tomatoes (sun dried or other) and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Butternut Squash Chutney

875g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 large cooking apples, peeled and roughly chopped

4 carrots, cut into 1 cm chunks

2 large onions, coarsely chopped

200 g mixed dried fruit - I like to use a mixture of raisins and apricots, roughly chopped

2 inches of fresh ginger, grated (or powdered ginger, about 2 tsp)

1 tsp crushed dried chillies

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

700 ml cider vinegar

2 blush oranges, peeled and segmented then roughly chopped

500g jam sugar (granulated will work fine)

bunch of fresh thyme (leaves removed from stalk)

generous grind of black pepper

• Place all the ingredients in a pan except the oranges, sugar and thyme and bring to the boil
• Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 25 minutes until squash has become tender
• Add the oranges and sugar and mix gently until the sugar has dissolved
• Continue to simmer gently, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes until mixture thickens
• Stir in the fresh thyme and take off the heat
• Whilst the mixture is still hot, spoon into hot sterilized jam jars (ensuring you fill all the way to the top)
• Seal immediately and keep in a cool, dark room until required

It is best to leave these a week until you open the first jar, and apparently chutneys are at their best 3 months after being made. They will last up to a year so you can give them as presents throughout the year.

This mixture made about ten jars worth of chutney. The first jar got eaten with some of my mother's delicious Rye bread and Comté cheese. Of course any other hard yellow cheese would go well, and maybe even some lovely Welsh goat's cheese. I first had pumpkin chutney with a mild Sri Lankan curry that my good friend Sarah made and that also went wonderfully.