Hello back everyone, winter is coming!
Butternut squash is a wonderful fruit, low in calories and very rich in minerals. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Thanks to its thick skin, it will keep for several month in a dark, dry and cool place (as long as the skin stays firm). I don’t know if it happens to you as well, but when temperature are dropping, I find my self craving spicy food.
I love roasting vegetables, it’s the easiest way to prepare them and it tastes fantastic. If you don’t know how to cook, or don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, or have other stuff to do, just season, oil, pop them in the oven, wait and dinner is served. This recipe is even easier. You will roast the whole butternut squash for about an hour, an hour and a half, until the flesh is very tender. What this actually does is vapor cooking the butternut without watering it down. Once the butternut is cooked it will be very easy to scoop out, so no more heavy cutting to do!
Bonus tip : the seed are vapor cooked as well, so wash them, let them dry and roast them until golden brown.
I love this recipe, it is very easy to add more flavors and change it completely. You can make a large quantity and change the taste every time you eat it and you won’t get bored. Amongst my favorites : caramelized onions, nutmeg, turmeric, curry, thai basil, lemongrass, cumin, lemon, coconut flakes or even lentils.
SPICY BUTTERNUT SOUP
Ingredients :
- 1 butternut
- 100ml coconut milk
- 250ml water
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon of grated ginger
- salt/pepper (if you really think necessary)
- cilantro and parsley for the finish
WARNING : feel free to change the ratio of chili flakes and ginger as it is just enough to get your nose dripping and your tongue tingling.
Set the oven at 190°C. Wash the butternut and place it, whole, on a oven-safe dish, as some liquid may leek during the cooking, in the oven. You don’t really have to let your oven pre-heat, as it will cook for min. an hour. (No, it’s not going to explode, if you poke it it will dry out)
Test if the butternut is cooked with a toothpick, if you’re not sure just leave it an other 20min, it will just brown the skin and overcook the meat (for a soup it’s not a big deal).
Once you’re happy with your butternut. Let it cool so you can handle it.
Cut in half and take the seeds out. It’s a good moment to taste the meat, as it’s delicious at this point of the recipe. Most of the time I just love the butternut like that and make the soup with only one half.
Scrape the meat out and place it in a blender. (You could use the skin as well if you sure of the origin of your butternut)
Add coconut milk, water and blend until smooth (add some water to get the texture you’re looking for)
Transfer to a pan, add the ginger and chili flakes. Re-heat until boiling.
Serve with some chopped cilantro and parsley.
P.S. : If you want to make it lighter, you can dilute the coconut milk with water, as it’s the only fat of the recipe, but it’ll lose cream-like texture.
Thank you for reading this. I hope you’re going to enjoy this recipe. If you try it at home, please post some pictures and don’t hesitate to share your tips and tricks, and the variations you tried.
Credits : Photos by Alexandre Catulle, illustration by Linda Dieschbourg.