All entries for Monday 30 November 2009

Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

First of a few recipes appearing here in the new updated blog focusing on food, hopefully all of which will be reasonably healthy meals as well. 

This one is a good autumn / winter soup when butternut squashes are in season. You will need:

(serves 5-6)

• 1 large Butternut Squash
• 1 red pepper
• 2 red chillies
• 1 onion
• pinch of saffron
• app. 1.5 L of vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Firstly, get the stock on to simmer in a large saucepan and add the saffron to infuse whilst you are chopping the vegetables. Dice the onion, de-seed and chop the peppers and chillies, and peel, de-seed and dice the squash.

Add all the vegetables to the warm stock along with the paprika and then cover and simmer for about 45 mins - 1 hour, until the vegetables are soft and tender. I like my food quite spicy, so 2 chillies makes for a pretty hot soup. You can adjust the heat to your own taste. 

(Don't forget the lid! Purely for illustration.)

Once the vegetables are tender, cool slightly and then add the contents of the pan to a blender and process until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pan, season to taste and reheat until warmed through. If you've made the stock with stock cubes, you probably won't need much salt if any at all. Serve with some warm bread. 

This soup is also great for those on a diet. For those counting Weight Watchers points, it's a mighty zero points. 

Stuart Coles : 30 Nov 2009 14:17 |  Tags: Come Dine With Me Soup |  Comments (5) |  Close comments |  Report a problem