This is one of my ‘old faithfuls’ and I love whipping it up during the colder months…

Fell in love with butternut soup at Rhodes (uni) when my friend Debbie and I became obsessed with it and decided to try and sell it to visitors at the Grahamstown Arts Festival – logistics wasn’t really our thing and only after we’d bought pockets of butternut from Fruit & Veg City, did we realise that it wasnt really going to work… So ya, we ate a LOT of the orange goodness that Winter!

Here it is, the ‘recipe’ – I use the term loosely because it’s very much a case of throwing ‘yummy stuff’ together and hoping for the best (always knowing it will be great!) – but really – what is better on a cold day other than a hearty meal of soup and fresh bread? So simple and so satisfying. Tailor as you prefer and enjoy :)

INGREDIENTS

2-3 large butternuts (bonus if you can get the equivalent peeled and chopped already – some of the larger supermarkets do this)

1 onion (optional), peeled and finely chopped (I like to use red onion for extra flavour, but white will do just as well)

One small carton of single cream OR some milk if you prefer a healthier version

Salt to taste (I recommend Maldon Sea Salt Flakes – love it because it tastes almost sweet and yet salty at the same time)

Pepper to taste (Schwartz Red and Black Pepper is a must for anyone who enjoys a ‘bite’)

METHOD

1. Peel and chop butternut into small chunks – boil in a large pot of water for about 10-15 minutes

2. If using onion, sautee in a pan with a tiny bit of oil until browned and well cooked. Blend with hand blender until ‘mushy’…

3. Drain butternut once it is very soft (I test with a fork, you can feel when it is cooked through and about to fall apart…)

4. Add onion and cream/milk to butternut – the amount of cream/milk you use determines how ‘runny’ you want your soup to be (rather use too little at this stage than too much, you can always add more later), I like mind fairly thick so prefer not to add too much, but up to you

5. Use a hand held food processor (like this one – I’ve had mine for about 2 years and it works like a bomb! And yes, it only costs £4!) to smooth the butternut-cream-onion mixture – thin further with extra milk if required – make sure to process well so that both onion and butternut pieces are smoothly ‘mashed’

6. Add salt and pepper to taste

{ Idea: add other soft-cooked vegies like carrots, parsnips or sweet potato to introduce new flavours.. }

Serve immediately (while still hot) and with fresh bread – enjoy x