Despite how hectic life has become, I have still found time to do quite a
bit of cooking and baking, which is great because that is at the core of what I
want this blog to be about.
Many of the dishes that I have been cooking recently are quick to prepare
and cook, but they are still full of flavour and delicious to eat. Don’t get me
wrong, despite being an enthusiastic cook and a lover of eating out in good
restaurants, I am not a snob when it comes to food and would eat takeaways
every now and again. There is one particular chain of diners here in Ireland
which serves burgers that I find it impossible to resist and I have also been
known to use various so-called ‘convenience’ foods from time-to-time.
Ultimately, however, I enjoy cooking and prefer to cook my own meals from
scratch. I recognise that not everyone feels the same as I do and find having
to cook and prepare meals a bit of an ordeal, but I love it. There are so many
recipes that are quick and easy to prepare and result in dishes that are far
superior to those that you can buy pre-prepared in the chiller section from the
supermarket.
In my opinion, the most important quality that you need to possess when
cooking is confidence in what you are doing. For some people, cooking is an
instinctive thing, but for others who are reluctant or nervous cooks,
confidence can be improved by using recipes that are reliable and actually
work. I sometimes suspect that there are recipes which are published in some of
the best-selling cookbooks and food magazines have never been cooked other than
for the glossy photographs to accompany the publication. This drives me mad.
Every recipe that appears on my blog has been cooked (often many times) and
photographed by me. Although some of them use specialist equipment or are aimed
at the more experienced home cook, I try to include many that could be
attempted by even the novice! This soup is a perfect example of this as it is
incredibly quick and simple to make, using ingredients that can be easily
sourced.
I love the zingy freshness of this soup, with some gentle warmth provided
by the addition of ginger and a little fresh chilli. If you prefer something a
little spicier, you can increase the amount of chilli used, but do this
cautiously as you still want the sweetness of the butternut squash and orange
to come through.
You can finish the soup off by serving it with a swirl of cream or crème
fraiche and a few leaves of coriander or parsley. Serve with some freshly baked
brown soda bread, still warm from the oven! HEAVENLY!
Ingredients:
25g butter1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
5cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli pepper, sliced
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks (600-750g)
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
750ml vegetable/chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
Cream or crème fraîche
Small leaves of parsley or coriander
Method:
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onions and garlic. Cook over a low to moderate heat for about 5-7 minutes until they soften but do not allow to colour.
2. Add the ginger, chilli and butternut squash to the saucepan and give
everything a good stir. Cover the saucepan and sweat the vegetables to cook for
about 5 minutes until just beginning to soften but again, do not allow to
colour.
3. Add the orange zest and pour in the stock. Increase the temperature and
bring the mixture up to simmering point. Season with sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper. Allow to gently simmer for about 15-20 minutes uncovered,
or until the vegetables are soft.
4. Purée the soup using either a stand or hand-held blender and pour into a
clean saucepan. Add the orange juice, stirring it through the soup. Taste and
adjust seasoning as necessary.
To serve:
5. Serve hot in bowls with a swirl of cream or crème fraîche and a few small
leaves of coriander or parsley.
Serves 6.
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