Spicy Squash Soup
The weather has definitely taken a wintery turn this week.
That means it is time to get the jumpers out and get soup cookin'.
One of my favourite veggies to use in soup is squash- it makes creamy, slightly sweet soup that has a lovely orange colour. This soup recipe is a little spicy, but you can adjust it to suit your tastes.
Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into evenly sized pieces.
1 onion, peeled and roughly diced.
2 carrots, peeled and roughly diced.
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed or finely chopped.
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground cumin
Chilli flakes, as desired (I used 1 tsp).
500-600ml vegetable stock
Method:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
When the oil is warm, add the onion and carrot. Cook for 5-10 minutes until until tender.
Add in the spices and garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes until aromatic.
Then add in the squash and mix to coat in the spices.
Pour in the vegetable stock, mix, cover and bring to the boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the squash is tender.
Blitz the soup using a stick blender, or in a food processor.
Bring back up to temperature and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
Serve with a dollop of natural yogurt and some nice bread!

Notes:
Sweet potato or pumpkin could be used instead of squash.
I used carrot and onion as the base, but celery and leek are welcome additions to any soup too.
Leave out the chilli flakes or add more, depending on your tastes.
Use any oil you have, I use rapeseed oil but olive or vegetable oil are perfect too.
Use more or less stock to make a thinner or thicker soup- remember also that keeping the lid on the saucepan will prevent liquid evaporation, meaning the soup will be thinner than if you cook with the lid off. You can always add more stock after the soup has been blitzed.
This recipe makes approx. 4 decent portions.
Lots of love,
Little O x
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