A quick, tasty soup with butternut squash, sweet potatoes or pumpkin
I tablespoon olive oil
I onion, diced
75g pancetta or streaky bacon or chorizo
1 garlic clove
500 – 700g sweet butternut squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon of curry paste (optional) or 4 sage leaves and 2 sprigs thyme
500ml chicken stock
200 – 400ml milk or I tin coconut milk.
Method
In a large pan fry the onion, bacon and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes.
Add the squash, pumpkin or sweet potato and cook gently for a further 5 minutes.
Add in the curry paste or herbs and cook for a further couple of minutes.
Cover with stock. Simmer gently until the squash is soft (approx 30 mins).
Puree in a blender until smooth.
Add in the milk/coconut milk to give the desired consistency and gently heat through.
A lovely selection of autumn squashes – any can be used in this soup.However, the pumpkins grown especially for halloween in the UK have very little flavour so avoid those.