Moroccan Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

I’m not a soup fan. It might seem strange but I really am not. I don’t mind soups per se but even if I really enjoy the flavours I have two to three spoonfuls and I get bored. But with this soup it’s different, as it is with Barszcz (a Polish beetroot soup that my mum makes). These I can slurp on forever.

This particular soup recipe was concocted a few years ago out of the need to use up the butternut squash that my parents had grown in their back garden and stored throughout winter in the garden shed. And now at least one butternut squash that emerges from their garden is saved for this soup.

I spice it up with a distinctly North African (mainly Moroccan) spice blend called ras el hanout. The particular one I used had ginger powder, paprika, cassia, coriander powder, cumin powder, demerara sugar, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, allspice, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and rose petals. Although the blends vary slightly the warmth and spice that it adds to the soup is the most important thing so if you can’t find the spice mix use a few of the above spices to make your own.

Moroccan Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

1-3 cloves of garlic left in their skin

1 tsp ras el hanout

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 litre of vegetable stock

125 ml of double cream

1 tsp tahini paste

50g feta cheese crumbled

parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180 C/ 350 F.
2. Peel and scoop out the seeds and fibres of the butternut squash and cut into roughly 3 inch pieces.
3. Place them into a tin along with the cloves of garlic and drizzle over the olive oil. Put them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.
4. In a pan sauté the chopped onions in some olive oil until translucent and add in the ras el hanout and stir.
5. Prepare the vegetable stock – you can use a bouillon cube, stock from a carton or your own home-made stock.
6. Once the butternut squash is done place in a large saucepan along with the onions and the stock. Use a hand blender to combine the ingredients together until smooth.
7. Add in the tahini paste and cream and stir well.
8. Transfer into individual bowls and before serving crumble on some feta cheese and garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

Effie x