Spiced Squash Soup

Autumn should always be formally heralded in with a bowl of warming, spicy soup and this squash soup is up there with the best of them. Squash is always a winner during Autumn, with their delicious, nutty, slightly-sweet-yet-aromatic flavour – plus they look really pretty. I tend to buy them whenever I see them and using them up on this soup is a sure-fire way of getting a luxurious, quick, easy and downright delicious midweek supper.

Almost any combination of spices work well with squash. Here I have gone for some crushed coriander seeds, some Aleppo pepper and some smoked chilli but really any spice will work: try curry powder, harrissa, chilli flakes or cumin to mix it up a bit.

The recipe is simple: simply take your squash of choice – there are so many types – to peel and de-seed. Slice into chunks and put to one side; the soup will be liquidised so they don’t have to look pretty. Fry up one or two shallots in olive oil for a few minutes, before adding the chunks of squash. Add your spices: 1 teaspoon each of crushed coriander seeds, Aleppo pepper and smoked chilli as well as salt and pepper. Stir those in before covering with chicken (or vegetable) stock and simmering for 10-15 minutes, or until the squash is cooked. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until smooth, adding a drizzle of olive oil for richness. Add water until you have the consistency that you want and serve with a bit of seasoning and another flourish of olive oil.

Enjoy!