As an Aussie, I hate the cold but I love soup so autumn is the perfect time to make a big bowl of thick and warming soup.
Butternut pumpkin soup was ubiquitous when I was growing up. It was on pub menus. Mum made it. I think it is my favourite soup and could not be easier to make. I freeze it in portion sized servings in zip lock bags.
You can serve it as a starter if you like but I tend to eat it as a main meal with crusty bread or focaccia.
If you want to make a completely vegetarian version, use vegetable stock. I use chicken stock because I think it adds a bit more flavour but it is entirely up to you. How much stock you use depends upon how thick you want your soup to be. I like think soup so use enough stock to cover the veggies in the pan but it is your choice.
As a guide, try and have about the same amount of potatoes as squash so feel free to tweak the ingredients as needed.
If you don’t like nutmeg, gently fry a couple of sage leaves in butter until crisp and crumble them over the soup.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
2 brown onions, finely chopped
2 butternut squash – peeled, seeds removed, and chopped into 1cm cubes
4 medium sized potatoes – peeled and chopped into cm cubes
Chicken or veg stock to cover
Salt & pepper
To serve
Double cream
Nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
Finely chopped chives
Crusty bread
Instructions
1. Soften the onions in a knob of butter over a low heat.
2. Add squash and potatoes and fry for a few minutes to coat in the butter.
3. Season with salt & pepper.
4. Pour over the stock and bring to the boil. Then drop the heat down and simmer for about 30 mins or so until the squash and potatoes are really soft.
5. Allow the soup to cool before blending to a smooth puree in a blender or with a stick blender. Be careful – if the soup is too hot, you could really burn yourself.
6. To serve, grate over some fresh nutmeg, add a blob of double cream (or creme fraiche) and sprinkle with chives. Add some crusty bread with lots of butter and you are good to go !!!!