Honey Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

September 15, 2012

Nothing says fall like a bowl of warm honey roasted butternut squash soup from Bananamondaes. Cubes of sweet butternut squash are tossed with honey, nutmeg, and other seasoning before being roasted. In the oven, the sugars caramelize and the squash becomes golden brown and delicious. To make the soup, the roasted squash is combined with onions and sweet potatoes and then pureed. Top this amazing fall soup with rosemary croutons and a drizzle of creme fraiche.

Honey Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

For Soup:
1 butternut squash

1 tbsp manuka honey

2 onions

2 cloves of garlic

2 small sweet potatoes

1 pint of chicken stock

salt and pepper to season

nutmeg

For the rosemary and pine nut croutons:

1 clove of garlic

Rosemary

Wholemeal or granary bread

Salt and pepper

Pine nuts

Directions:

Cut the butternut squash lengthways.

Drizzle the honey over the squash and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Put into a baking tray face up with enough water to cover at least an inch of the squash.

Cook in the oven for around 40 minutes or until you can easily put a knife into the squash.

Meanwhile, cut the onion, peel and dice the sweet potatoes and crush the garlic. Sweat the vegetables in a pan with a sprinkling of salt. After 2-3 minutes, add in the chicken stock. Leave to stand until the squash is ready.

When the squash is ready, scoop out the flesh and add to the stock and other vegetables. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Blend until smooth.

To make the rosemary croutons:

Cut the bread into chunky cubes.

Heat two teaspoons of butter and a teaspoon of oil in a pan. When the pan is hot, throw in a good few pinches of rosemary and and the bread and toss until crispy. As the bread is turning brown, throw in the garlic and pine nuts (be careful as the pine nuts will toast very quickly).

When the croutons are crisp, add the mixture to the top of the soup - and maybe another twist of salt.