Autumn Cooking Series (Butternut Squash – Soup)

I am keeping myself quite busy. Mornings are spent working on another book, and afternoons researching famous French chefs for a magazine. Between this and promoting My Heart’s Home: Memories and Recipes of France, I find I have little time to share good things with my readers here. So I’ve decided to post some of my favorite autumn recipes in the coming weeks. I’ll be featuring one ingredient each time, from pumpkins to earthy mushrooms. All the flavors that make this such a delicious season! I hope you will enjoy these treasured family recipes, and please let me know if you’ve tried them. I love seeing your results!

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
Butternut Squash!
I made this soup a few years ago and it has become a staple at our house as soon as the first butternut squash hits the market stalls. The combination of flavors is truly a thing of beauty: a perfect unity of spicy (chilies and chorizo), creamy (coconut milk), fragrant (a mix of warm spices) and sweet (butternut squash). The addition of chorizo is wonderful and, as a matter of fact, it is the basis of the soup because it is in those spicy oils released from the chorizo that all the magic starts to happen.
I could write a long post about this soup. Telling you why you have to try it and why it’s autumn and comfort all waiting to be savored in one sublime bowl, but instead, I’ll cut it short and give you the recipe.

Spicy Butternut Squash & Chorizo Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g chorizo, sliced
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red chili (deseeded, if you’d like less heat), finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp smoked (hot) Spanish paprika
  • Fine sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
  • 800ml chicken stock
  • 200ml coconut milk
  • Chopped coriander, to serve

 

Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the chorizo for approx. 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to drain on kitchen paper. In the leftover oils, go ahead and sauté the onion. After approx. 5 minutes, add the chili. Continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes and then add in the garlic. Cook for a few more minutes before increasing the heat and adding in the squash, spices and just the merest pinch of salt and pepper. Cook while stirring for approx. 3 minutes and then add the stock. Cooked covered for 15-20 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Pour in the coconut milk and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Blitz the soup with an immersion blender. Serve and garnish with the fried chorizo, fresh coriander and a little fresh pepper.