One of my favourite soups is butternut soup. Perfect for cooler evenings and even dinner parties. Especially with fresh bread and proper butter.
Starting with a recipe from a book many moons ago, I started playing with ingredients until I settled on a preferred recipe. Along the way I added chilli and garlic. And started using Greek yoghurt instead of the crème fraîche described in the original recipe.
Depending on how I felt, I add less stock (making it thicker). Or, extra chilli to contrast the sweetness of butternut, or, more yoghurt to make it more creamy.
Then, later I started roasting the butternut to add a smokey flavour to the soup. And occasionally I’ll add a handful of masala or other spice.
Now, occasionally, I’ll add sugar beans just for a variation on the theme…
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
Ingredients
- 2 cups speckled sugar beans
- Approximately 1kg Butternut
- 2 large onions chopped
- 750 – 850 ml vegetable stock
- 2 red chillis, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, sliced
- 1 cup natural or Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche
- A few tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
- Tablespoon of butter
- Cup of chopped coriander or rocket
- 1 tablespoon or more of masala, curry powder or hrisa (optional)
Method
Soak the beans overnight, then cook until tender (about an hour)
Peel (optional), deseed, and cut the butternut into large cubes. Drizzle with oil and roast at 170 degrees for 35–40 minutes.
While the butternut is roasting, and the sugar beans are boiling, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan.
Add the 2 diced onions, 1 sliced garlic clove and the 2 deseeded and the chopped red chillies.
Cover and cook on a low heat for 15-20 mins until the onions are completely soft.
Tip the butternut and beans into the pan, add the hot vegetable stock and the yoghurt (or crème fraîche). Blend with a stick blender until smooth. (If your soup is too thick for your liking, add little bits of water until the consistency is to your taste.)
Note! For variation, blend the butternut, garlic, onion and chilli together, and add the beans in whole afterwards.
Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes on low heat.
Stir in chopped coriander or rocket leaves (any spicy green leaves will do).
Serve with freshly buttered bread…