Roast Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 onions, cut into wedges
• 1 whole head of garlic, top sliced off
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 900 ml hot vegetable stock
• 150 ml coconut milk
• 30 g pumpkin seeds, toasted

Method

1. Roast, do not boil

   Toss the squash, onion and garlic head with the oil, cumin and chilli and roast at 200°C until the squash edges are caramelised. Boiling the squash instead would make a perfectly smooth soup that tastes of nothing in particular.

   35 min

2. Squeeze out the garlic

   Squeeze the roasted cloves out of their skins into the blender. Roasted whole in its skin, garlic turns sweet and mellow — the same amount raw would dominate the pot.

3. Blend with hot stock

   Blend the roasted vegetables with the hot stock until completely smooth, in batches, holding the lid down with a cloth. Filling a blender more than halfway with hot liquid is how ceilings get painted orange.

4. Loosen with coconut milk

   Return to the pan, stir in the coconut milk and warm gently. Judge the consistency now — it should coat a spoon but still pour; it will thicken noticeably as it stands.

5. Season and serve

   Season generously and top with the toasted seeds. Sweet squash soup needs more salt than you expect, and something crunchy on top to stop it feeling like baby food.