Spiced sweet butternut squash soup

An improvised soup, based on a combination of what was in the cupboard and “Spiced Sweet Potato & Red Onion Soup” from Soup Kitchen; this version is pure butternut squash. That’s the wife’s lunches sorted then.

Serves 6, preparation time ½ hr, cooking time ½ hr.

Ingredients

• Chicken stock (I managed to make it fresh, as I was doing anotherchicken dish)
• 1½ butternut squashes, peeled
• 1 tsp harissa
• 3 tsp honey
• a splash of olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1½ tsp sesame seeds
• 1½ coriander seeds
• 1½ tsp black cumin seeds
• 3 spring onions (because I felt like it should have more than one onion)
• 1¾ litres fresh chicken stock
• Juice of 1+ lime
• Salt & pepper

Preparation

1. Peel and dice the squash
2. Roast the spices and sesame seeds in a pan for 30 secs to 1 mins
3. Grind the spices
4. Finely chop the onions & garlic
5. Finely chop the garic and onion, then fry in a splash of olive oil on a low heat until soft; add the spring onions towards the end
6. Add the harissa, spices, sesame seeds and honey
7. Add the stock, squash and juice of 1 lime
8. Bring to the boil and boil for 20 mins
9. Blitz until smooth
10. Season with lime juice on serving
11. Taste, and season with salt & pepper as preferred