September is for soup

As I write this post the weather could not be more different to the other week where it seemed as though winter was drawing in along with the wet and cold evenings. However now the sun is shining and the air is warm outside so this post seems a little silly. Upon arriving home from work late the other evening, all I was craving was something small but warming and thought a soup would fit the bill. I had some onions, a butternut squash and a couple lonesome sweet potatoes and decided to roast them off to make a nice silky soup. I wasn't disappointed with my creation and if the weather turns bad soon as I'm sure it will, whip this up to warm your cockles.

Butternut Squash Soup


1 butternut squash, peeled and roughly chopped in to small chunks (and any root veg you have that needs using up)
1 onion, peeled and cut in to 8ths
6 garlic cloves left whole with skins on (I love garlic but feel free to add more or less to this)
2 tsp mixed spice
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Butter
Chicken stock (or veg if you don't eat meat)
Sour cream to serve

Preheat oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Prepare the veg, onion and garlic and then spread out in a baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with some oil and sprinkle over the mixed spice then give it all a good mix up. Put in the oven for about 20 mins or until the squash is soft and starting to go a bit crispy and brown. Put a little butter in a saucepan, add everything from the tray after squeezing the little gems of garlic out their skins. Fry off for a couple minutes and then add the stock so that it covers the squash. Bring to the boil and then simmer for a few more minutes. All that needs doing now is to blend with a hand blender until its silky and smooth. If you find the soup too thick just add some more stock and blend again. Serve with a nice dollop of sour cream to offset the sweetness.