Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

I know this sounds unseasonal - I usually make vats of butternut squash soup to last us through long dark autumn evenings - but a gigantic squash turned up in our veg box this week, so I decided to make the most of it.  I really love this soup, and it made a nice change to try it so early in the year.   It's not a recipe you can rush through, so make this on an evening when you've got time on your side. 

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Firstly, peel and chop your squash into biggish chunks.  Spread out on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.  Roughly chop an onion and three cloves of garlic and add these to the baking tray.  Sprinkle over 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes.   Give the tray a good shake to make sure everything is evenly coated, then stick in the oven on a low heat (about 140) for an hour, until the squash is soft and the onion has caramelised and your whole house smells delicious. 

Tip the vegetables into a big saucepan, and deglaze the pan with some hot stock - you want to get all the yummy sticky bits off the tray and into the soup.    Add in some more stock until the vegetables are well covered, plus a few fresh tomatoes if you have them, and bring to the boil.

Let everything cool, and then blitz until smooth.  Check the liquid, adding more stock if necessary.  Reheat when needed, and serve piping hot.

This time around, the soup turned out to so thick we're thinking of using the leftovers as a sauce for pasta.  It really is a whole meal in itself, but we have been known to have cheese on toast alongside.  Just saying.