I made my usual squash soup recently when I had some friends round to dinner… As I dished it up someone mentioned that they had been given a spicy version of squash soup and I was immediately intrigued. Having now tried out a spicy version of this soup I can safely say that I prefer it.
Any sort of soup makes for a great first dish at a dinner party for so many reasons. It’s easy to prepare for a start. Usually the most that’s involved is cutting up a few vegetables, throwing them into a pot and cooking them, adding some stock and blending it all up. Being so full of veg it’s also incredibly good for you, and may contain more than one of your five a day, and lets not forget the fact that soup also is tastes great!
So, here’s my recipe for spicy squash soup increase or decrease the heat of the curry depending on personal preference – I prefer a hotter soup but others may not!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 sliced and diced onion, 2 butternut squash cut into cubes, 1 red chilli cut into small pieces (this is not compulsory!), 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped coriander, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of medium curry paste, pint of veg stock and 7fl oz coconut milk.
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the sliced onion, garlic and chilli and toss so the oil covers them nicely. Fry for around five minutes until the onion has softened.
2. Add the squash and continue to fry for 5 minutes. Stir through the curry paste and fry for a further minute. Pour over the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil, and cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the squash is tender.
3. When you are happy the squash is cooked enough (until it is a soft) transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until you have a lovely, smooth soup. Put the soup back in the pan, reheat, season, add the corriander and serve whilst hot. Don’t forget ample amounts of thick bread!
If you wanted to make the soup taste even better here’s a tip – the fresher the ingredients obviously the better the taste. If you have the time it might be worth planting your corriander or making your own stock. It can take time but if you are a keen chef you might be surprised at the difference it can make.
butternut squash soup recipes and much more are available – click the link!