best butternut soup: gluten & dairy free

In my farm shop days soup making was an art in itself. We'd take what we had to hand; mainly bits of 'past their best' organic veg and magically transform them into steaming bowls of hearty loveliness. The problem came when people asked 'can you do that soup I had last week again?'. Erm...as most of my creations were 'a bit of this...a bit of that..', no two soups were ever the same.

This recipe is an adaptation of one such soup. Requested by Jill. I hope it hits the spot.....

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g butternut squash chopped, not peeled

1 medium onion roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled & cut in half

30g root ginger, peeled & sliced

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp cumin seed

1 tin chopped tomatoes 1L boiled water

30g Marigold Bouillon

2 tbsp ras el hanout

100g grated creamed coconut

Useful notes

I always buy long butternut squashes with slim bums. It means you get more veg for your money; less seed and air.

When I say 'roughly chop', I mean roughly chop. Don't fanny about here....forget about peeling too. Skin on means more nutrients & better taste.

And while we are talking nutrients...I've done a quick cal count and by my reckoning, a bowl of this filling yumminess is around 365 per person.

This soup has a belting kick to it, so if you're a bit soft, halve the ras el hanout, or add a bit more coconut.

Method

Toss the chopped butternut, onion, garlic & ginger in the oil. Scatter onto a baking tray & roast in a medium heat oven (about 180) for 40 mins. If the squash is starting to char a little, turn the oven down & be happy your soup will taste even better than a non charred version.

Transfer the cooked veg into a pan, being sure to scrape every last bit from the baking tray. Pour over the tomatoes & sprinkle in the ras el hanout.

Boil the kettle. Place the bouillon powder in a jug with the grated coconut & pour over 1L of water. Stir until dissolved.

Add water to pan, bring to boil & simmer for 25 mins. Remove from heat.

Blitz soup with a stick blender, season & enjoy.

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