Squish that squash for a hearty soup

Agood vegetable bargain this time of year is butternut squash, available right now costing as little as fifty pence in supermarkets. Low in fat and sodium and saturated fats and packed with vitamins A and C and calcium and magnesium, it really is good for you. Inside the butter-coloured skin you will find a delicious sweet, dense golden flesh that makes it a very tasty autumn and winter vegetable. When buying squash it is a good idea to test for ripeness. If you can push your fingernail into the rind it is not ripe and will lack flavour – the rind should be firm and unbroken and be an all over matt tan colour and free from any green tinges and should also feel quite heavy for its size. Preparation of butternut squash needs to be done carefully, and you will need a good large, sharp, cook’s knife and use this to make a shallow central cut down the length of the squash. Place the blade in the cut and knock the back of the blade with a wooden mallet or rolling pit until the squash is cut in half lengthways. Then scoop out and seeds and any fibrous strings and discard. Finally brush the flesh with a little olive oil and a good seasoning of freshly ground black pepper with just a little sprinkling of sea salt and place in a roasting tin, cut side up, and roast in a moderate oven 190C (Gas mark 5) until the flesh is tender. Once cooked you can then scoop out the flesh and use in soups or stews. However, you may need chunks of squash, so cut a small piece off each end of a butternut squash which will allow it to stand vertically, and carefully cut off the rind before slicing or dicing.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

1 fat clove of garlic

700g butternut squash, seeds, removed and cubed

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground coriander

600ml vegetable or chicken, stock 100ml orange juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a large pan and saute off the onion and garlic until the onion is soft and transparent. Add the butternut squash and spices and continue cooking, stirring, for five to six minutes then pour in the stock and orange juice, bring to the boil and then lower the heat to simmer and cook for around 30 minutes when the squash should be nice and tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before pureeing in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve with warm crusty bread or rolls.

GRATIN OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

1.2kg butternut squash

3 tbsp olive oil

2 or 3 shallots

2 fat cloves garlic

120ml medium dry cider

1 tsp soft brown sugar

1 level tsp dried thyme

½ level tsp dried basil

Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes

500g tomato passata

150ml creme fraiche

Generous pinch ground nutmeg 75g grated mature Cheddar cheese 25g finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Method

Cut the squash into quarters, removing the seeds and any fibre, then remove the peel, preferably using a vegetable peeler, but if not a medium sized sharp kitchen knife, peeling upwards from the base to the stalk end. Cut the squash flesh into small chunky pieces. Peel and finely chop the shallots and the garlic. Heat half of the olive oil in a pan and sauté off the shallots and garlic until the shallots are softened but not yet coloured. Stir in the cider and brown sugar and cook over a medium high heat until reduced to half of its original volume. Add the dried herbs, chilli flakes and passata and lower the heat as low as possible and simmer gently for 7 to 8 minutes and then transfer the sauced to a shallow ovenproof dish. Put the remaining oil into a large pan over a medium heat then add the squash and sauté for just 3-4 minutes, stirring and turning until the squash is a nicely golden on all sides, then spoon evenly on top of the tomato mixture in the dish. Put the creème fraiche into a small saucepan over a low heat and stir in the ground nutmeg, and bring to just below boiling point, and remove from the heat and pour evenly over the squash. Mix the Cheddar cheese and Parmesan (or Pecorino) together and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake in a preheated oven set at 200C Gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes or until the squash is tender and the topping is golden and bubbling.

Rosa Mashiter