Butternut Chilli Soup

This autumn warmer of a soup combines seasonal sweet, silky smooth, roasted butternut squash with fiery red chillis. Energy prices being so high these days, a bowl may also save you some money – it gives all the central heating your body needs!

Servings

3 – 4 bowls.

Timings

40 mins – 10 mins to prepare the butternut, and 30 mins for it to roast. The rest of the soup can be made while the veg is roasting.

You Will Need

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds and pith removed, and cut into chunks
• 1 red pepper, cut into 7 – 8 pieces
• oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2tsp grund cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric, fresh or powdered
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 medium red chillis, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 3 – 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 700ml veg or chicken stock
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Switch the oven on to 180C. Spread the butternut and red pepper pieces on a roasting tray, and drizzle with oil. Place in the oven when up to temp, and leave for 30 mins.
2. Pour some more oil into a large saucepan and warm on the hob. When the oil is hot, put in the garlic, cumin, turmeric, chillis and onion. Stir and let it cook for a few mins, before adding the celery and potatoes.
3. Let it all cook for another few mins – the onion should soften, and the celery/potatoes brown a little at the edges.
4. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce and simmer until the butternut and pepper have had their full 30 mins in the oven.
5. Take the butternut and pepper from the oven – it should all have softened and become a little charred at the edges. Scrape it all into the soup and stir.
6. Finally, grind it all smooth with a hand blender. The soup should take on a creamy consistency, and orange colour, with red specks, as in my photo above.
7. Ladle into bowls and serve with freshly baked bread.

Customise It!

If you want to increase the creaminess you could add a swirl of single cream when serving.

Adjust the strength of the chillis to your personal taste – I used medium, but you can revert to mild, or fire up to hot!

A bit like changing their intensity from low to high, I suppose – a cue for me to add Ohio’s the Black Keys to the ADK Playlist. Here’s Lo/Hi.