It’s finally time to let that workhorse of a butternut squash take centre stage in a hearty soup.
This is an easy and simple recipe that starts with a base of aromatic onions and ends in a beautifully pureed, thick smooth and satisfying butternut soup that is perfect for those chilly nights.
We know it can be challenging to cut the meaty squash, so there is no shame in reaching for a prepared pack of butternut in your grocery store. Warm up and snuggle up with this hearty vegetable soup recipe by chef Nelly Engelbrecht.
Engelbrecht is the head chef at Anastasia, a restaurant at the Nare Boutique Hotel in Kimberley.
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Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash, about 1kg, peeled and deseeded
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 15g diced robot peppers
- 15g diced celery
- 15g diced leeks
- 5g fresh thyme
- 5g fresh parsley
- 5g fresh chives
- 2 mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 425ml hot chicken stock
- 425ml hot vegetable stock
- 4 tbsp crème fraiche, plus more to serve
- Salt
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
2. Cut the squash into large cubes, about 4cm across, then toss in a large roasting tin with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.
3. Roast for 30 mins, turning once during cooking, until golden and soft.
4. While the butternut squash cooks, melt the butter with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions, garlic, robot peppers, celery, leeks, herbs, and three-quarters of the chillies.
5. Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15-20 mins until the onions are completely soft.
6. Tip the butternut squash into the pan, add the stock and crème fraiche, then whizz with a stick blender until smooth. For a silky soup, put the soup into a liquidiser and blitz it in batches.
7. Return to the pan, gently reheat, then season to taste. Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of crème fraiche and a scattering of the remaining chopped chilli.
