Sunshine in a bowl!
When I was in Las Vegas we had a great meal downtown in a very cool Mexican place, La Comida. I ordered camaron del golfo which were delicious shrimp and chorizo on a bed of butternut squash, tomato and corn.
It was the vegetables which I loved the most, and not just because I was at the end of a week without much fruit or veg in my diet! They were lightly roasted and gently seasoned so the sweetness still shone through. When I came home, I wanted to recreate this, but I also realised that it would make some awesome soup.
I have been calling this my sunshine soup because it is so vibrant! But it isn’t the the colour which is sunny, it is the flavour too. In fact, the first time I made it, I used double the amount of tomatoes, and while they looked lovely all roasted up it was way too sweet. So I cut back and added some coriander and cumin for balance.
Now, butternut squash. I love it, but god I hate cutting it. I am always terrified that cutting it is going to result in a severed finger; so much so that I have started asking Andrew to quarter it for me. And peeling is a pain, so I roast it skin on and then squeeze the flesh out of the skin easily when it has cooled. However, I found a bag of pre prepared squash reduced in Sainsburys and it was ideal: small diced, no flesh, just enough for this recipe and no finger fear involved! I usually avoid pre-prepared veggies after a traumatic summer job involving them, but I think I will make an exception for butternut squash soup!
Sunshine in a bowl! This bright soup is vibrant in flavour as well as colour. A great way to enjoy these sweet vegetables.
Ingredients
- Butternut squash, 600g
- Cherry tomatoes, 100g
- Frozen sweetcorn, 80g
- Vegetable stock, 1 litre
- Ground coriander seeds, 1 tsp
- Cumin seeds, 1 tsp
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200c.
- Half the cherry tomatoes and chop the squash into similar small pieces.
- Place the tomatoes and squash on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, a pinch of salt and the spices and roast for around 20 mins until soft.
- Carefully scrape into a large saucepan and add the sweetcorn and hot stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for just five minutes. Test for seasoning and add pepper / more spice if desired.
- Pulse everything together into a smooth soup – I use a stick blender. If you are pouring into a processor, be careful when blitzing hot soup. If you want to you could reserve a couple of tablespoons of veg and then replace them if you want a bit of texture in there.
Notes
I used pre-prepared squash which was chopped into very small pieces- this brings the prep time right down. There was a small amount of onion in with my squash, which I don't think this soup necessarily needs, but add half a red onion and roast it if you wish. If you want to make a more filling soup, add 1/3 of a measuring cup of red lentils to the stock and cook for 10 minutes before you add the vegetables.
I think this is a soup which will take me through the summer months as well!
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