A velvety, spicy, cream of roast butternut squash soup with garlic confit, ginger and chilli. Full of incredible flavours to excite your tastebuds, this comforting soup can be as spicy as you want to make it! Serves 4
Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
Make the garlic confit and ginger: slice the top ¼ off the whole bulbs of garlic and thinly slice the ginger. Put in the centre of a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Wrap the foil loosely around the garlic and ginger but make sure it is sealed.
Prepare and cook the vegetables: peel and de-seed the squash and cut into 3cm chunks. Peel and chop the onion into similar sized pieces. Tip everything into a bowl.
Add the chilli flakes, salt and pepper and mix everything thoroughly, making sure all the vegetables are covered in the oil.
Tip everything out onto baking tray and ensure the vegetables are evenly scattered, leaving a space in the corner for the garlic and ginger foil parcel.
Put the vegetables and confit in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Take out of the oven, stir and put back in the oven for a further 20 minutes
Transfer the vegetables to your food processor.
When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic confit out of the cloves. (If you cannot wait and the garlic is still hot, I use rubber gloves to protect my hands.) Add to the processor with the sliced ginger.
Pour in the stock and blend until smooth.
Pour into your cast iron casserole or a saucepan.
Add sufficient milk to get the consistency you are looking for and re-heat when ready to serve.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Serve: add little dollops of sour cream or yoghurt in a circle around the soup.
Use a skewer or the tip of a knife to draw a circle through the centre of the cream/yoghurt to make little heart shapes.
Sprinkle on your choice of garnish – crispy bacon bits, herbs (I used coriander). You could also add croutons and a little chilli oil if you are after a spicy hit!
Equipment: