This delicious soup is suitable for vegetarians – just ensure that the stock used caters for veges. If you like, it can also be made with chicken stock, and you can add a spoonful of double cream to really get the taste buds going.
This recipe uses a spice mix called ras-al-hanout. This is usually available in good food or spice shops, but if you fancy making your own you’ll need to buy the following spices separately: cardamom, clove, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, cumin, mace, nutmeg, peppercorns and turmeric. You’ll then need to experiment with the different quantities until you find something you like as there are no set rules on this.
Ras-al-hanout is Arabic for ‘best of the shop’, a mixture of the best spices a seller has.
A good tip is to cut the butternut squash in half and scoop the pips out with a spoon – then roast them in the oven for 5-10 minutes. They can then be used to garnish the soup.
Ingredients: A butternut squash, a litre of stock (vegetable or chicken), a medium onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 large pinches of ras-al-hanout. This will be enough to make a starter for 4 people.
Preheat the oven to 150C (gas mark 2). Split the butternut squash in half, drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 45 mins. Prod with a fork to test, if it’s soft through it’s ready.
After roasting the squash add the chopped onion and garlic to a medium heat and fry until the onion softens. While frying the onion, take the squash and cut off the skin. Then cut the squash into small cubes and add to the garlic and onion for a further two minutes.
Make the stock while the onions, garlic and butternut squash are slowly frying. Once mixed, add half of the mixture, including the stock to a blender and blend until you are satisfied with the consistency. Add more ras-al-hanout if required and blend again. Then add the other half and blend once more. Once happy with the consistency return to the pan and heat thoroughly ensuring the soup is not boiled.
Dish up the soup into four bowls and garnish with the roasted seeds and serve with a large chunk of bread.
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