Winter Soup –Roasted Butternut Squash & Leek Soup

Melbourne is at a freezing point at present, literally. Usually, July is the peak of winters, but this year since May it’s been so cold and I even fear imagining what July holds for us.

All I want is a heater, my couch, blanket, television and a cup of hot soup. But to have a soup you need to make it, damn got to get up. Soup is the best comfort food for winter’s its full of nutrition’s, healthy and yummy.  Kids love it too 🙂

So I decided to make Butternut Squash and Leek Soup, easy and quick so I can run back in my blanket…

Just make cuts on the butternut squash, so it cooks evenly and through. Trim the leek, remove the dark green part. Into the preheated oven, 180°.

Scrape out the squash pulp and outer hard layers of the leek.

Just use the tender part of leek, usually outer two layers need to be discarded. And put the squash pulp and leek in the blender

In a pan add oil, crushed garlic and once the raw smell of garlic disappears add the garlic to the blender

Blend them to a smooth paste and sieve them, to avoid strands from leek.

It’s important to sieve or less while eating you would get the thread like leek in your mouth, just like celery.

In the same pan which you cooked garlic add the puree. Add salt, cinnamon powder and black pepper. Black pepper and salt can be adjusted according to liking.

Let it boil then add water and cream and let it simmer for 7 to 8 minutes.

Serve it hot with bread and garnish with some more cream for more creamy flavor. Done!!

Enjoy your Soup 🙂

Ingredients: 

• ½ Butternut squash
• 1 Leek – Trimmed
• 2 Garlic cloves – crushed
• 3 tbsp Cream
• ½ tsp Cinnamon powder
• 2 tsp Black pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Remove seeds from the butternut squash and put cuts on it. Keep it on an oven tray with skin down.
• Trim the green parts of the leek and keep it on the tray along with the squash.
• Preheat oven on 180° and roast the leek and squash for 25 minutes then turn over the leek and cook further for 15 minutes. Remove Leek and let the squash further cook for more 15 minutes.
• We need to use the tender part of the leek, so remove the outer layers which are not soft enough. And for butternut squash, it should be very soft that you can just scrap it out of its skin.
• In a pan on medium flame add olive oil, once the oil is hot put the garlic and cook till the raw smells disappears then in the blender put the squash pulp, leek and garlic and blend it into a smooth paste. Sieve them.
•  Then again in the same pan on medium flame add the puree, salt, cinnamon powder and black pepper. Let it come to a boil, and then add water and cream.
• Check for salt and let it simmer for further 7-8 minutes.
• Garnish with some cream and Serve hot along with some bread!!