Tasty...

Butternut squash soup

Rainy weather is actually quite useful...I've been getting lots done indoors including all the chores!  And I have prepared a bit of food as well.. some.photos below...

Houmous

I love trying new recipes and these were all previously untested - I have made houmous before but this was by far the best recipe.  Served with toasted pitta bread and vegetable crudites will make a good lunch and I can't wait to tuck in :-)  

Tomorrow morning I will make a small batch of scones to have with homemade strawberry jam...I'd better do some more running soon, given all this food around!  For that I would quite like for the weather to improve a little - I don't mind running in the rain every once in a while but when it is too often, it gets a bit tedious.



Butternut squash soup

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash , about 1kg, peeled and deseeded
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 mild red chillies , deseeded and finely chopped
• 850ml hot vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche , plus more to serve 

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the squash into large cubes, about 4cm/1½in across, then toss in a large roasting tin with half the olive oil. Roast for 30 mins, turning once during cooking, until golden and soft.
2. While the squash cooks, melt the butter with the remaining oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions, garlic and ¾ of the chilli. Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15-20 mins until the onions are completely soft.
3. Tip the squash into the pan, add the stock and the crème fraîche, then whizz with a stick blender until smooth. For a really silky soup, put the soup into a liquidiser and blitz it in batches. Return to the pan, gently reheat, then season to taste. Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of crème fraîche and a scattering of the remaining chopped chilli. 

(original recipe from BBC Good Food website)