Spicy Butternut Squash Soup With Lime Croutons Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pour a thin layer of water in a baking dish, or a cookie sheet with sides. Place the squash halves cut side down on the dish. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce the flesh. Cool slightly, then remove the peel. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic, and saute for a few minutes, until tender. Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add the potatoes, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Add the squash, and mash with the potatoes until chunks are small. Use an immersible hand blender to puree the soup, or transfer to a blender or food processor in batches, and puree until smooth. Return to the pot.
• Season the soup with cayenne pepper, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper, then stir in the sherry and half-and-half cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Ladle into bowls, and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Place butternut squash, cut-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Coat the cut sides with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until butternut squash is tender when pierced with a fork, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove squash from oven and cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
• Scoop flesh from roasted butternut squash and transfer to a saucepan; add broth, garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Bring squash mixture to a simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes.
• Pour squash mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until soup is smooth.
• Whisk sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest together in a bowl until lime cream is evenly mixed. Serve soup in bowls; top with a dollop of lime cream.

Steps:

• Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil.
• Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels - you'll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you'll be left with a beautifully flavored oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chile and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 30 minutes.
• While the soup is cooking, make your croutons. Drizzle a little olive oil over the ciabatta slices, and press some grated Parmesan onto each side. Place in a non-stick pan without any oil and fry until golden on both sides.
• When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with an immersion blender or pour it into a standard blender and pulse until you have a smooth puree* (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it's perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls, placing 2 croutons on top of each. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat; cook the onion, garlic, and thyme in the hot butter until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the squash and chicken stock; bring to a simmer and cook until the squash is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Crumble the bouillon into the soup; season with cumin, allspice, salt, and pepper; remove from heat.
• Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Hold the lid of the blender in place with a kitchen towel and carefully start the blender using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a serving bowl. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup in the pot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half from top to bottom and remove seeds from both halves.
• Place cut side down on baking sheet.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until flesh of squash is fully softened.
• On a low heat, saute onion in butter and oil until soft and browning.
• Add garlic and saute until fragrant and soft.
• Remove roasted squash from skin and put into soup pot.
• Add stock and bring soup to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and add seasoning and herbs.
• Simmer for 15-20 minutes and then add sour cream (if using) and blend until smooth using a hand blender or blender.
• While soup is simmering, toss bread cubes with oil and seasoning and toast in oven until golden brown.
• Serve with chopped green onion and/or croutons.