Yesterday evening, I was on the phone with my best friend Isa…..After having gone through all our usual conversation topics (family, jobs, projects, politics, music, books….), she asked me for a butternut squash recipe idea (I am her kitchen Guru!!). So, here is the recipe I came up with for her- It is very easy, no peeling or dicing of the butternut squash involved, … and it is delicious!!!!
Preparation time= 15 minutes
Cooking time = 40 minutes to 1 hour (depending on the size of the squash)
You will need anoven (preheated to 200°C) and a blender
List of Ingredients =
- 1 butternut squash (no need to peel it – just scoop the flesh out once cooked)
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp of dried or fresh thyme
- 1 tsp of fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp of coconut oil
- 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tsp of oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- pumpkin seeds (optional)
What do I do?=
- Preheat the oven to 200°C
- Peel and cut the onion in two and peel the two garlic cloves – mix in a bowl with 1 tsp of oil and pepper– reserve for later.
- Cut both ends of the butternut squash to create flat surfaces – this will make it easier to slice the butternut afterwards!Place the flat bulb end on a chopping board, stand the butternut on its flat end and cut it in half (lengthwise). Be careful not to cut yourself! Scoop the seeds out with a spoon.
- Place the two halves of the butternut on a baking tray (cut side up), brush with 1 tsp of oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme.
- Place the baking tray in a preheated oven. After 25 minutes, add the onion halves and garlic cloves to the baking tray. Continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes or until the butternut flesh is soft enough to be scooped (to check if the squash is done insert a sharp knife in the flesh – it should go on easily and feels “soft”)
- When the butternut squash is cooked, remove the tray from the oven and wait for the squash to be cool enough to scoop its flesh out with a spoon.
- Put the flesh in a blender, add the onion, garlic cloves, grated ginger, coconut oil and 500ml of stock. Blend until smooth. If the soup is too thick, add more stock until you achieve the consistency you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- If the soup is not hot enough, reheat it.
- Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds (optional). ENJOY!
Useful tip = Use a timer! I accidentally burnt so many dishes in the past because I left the kitchen whilst they were cooking, got engrossed in something else and…. just forgot about my dish until a burnt smell brought me running back to the kitchen!The timer function on my mobile phone is one of my most essential tools!
Did you know?
Butternut squashes are an excellent source of vitamin A as they are packed with carotenoids (the compounds that give them their bright orange colour). Vitamin A is involved “in immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication” [1]
1 https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash
