As the nights seem to have already completely drawn in and temperatures are plummeting by the day, I know I am not only speaking for myself when I say that the hunt is well and truly on to find those warmth sustaining recipes to see us through till spring.
Luckily for those still on the hunt, this is one such recipe.
I’ll be honest, up until very recently I was under the firm impression that a munchkin, was the name for a small jolly fellow living somewhere over the rainbow. It appears I’d be mistaken for believing that this is the sole meaning of the word. In fact, it turns out, a munchkin is also the term for a little pumpkin. I wasn’t that wrong then, both being small jolly fellows and all that!
Anyway, back to the food, this recipe drew inspiration from bonfire night where that post-halloween pumpkin soup and hot dogs seem to be a universally agreed menu at every November 5th Firework party. This got me thinking as being a self-confessed pig I am by my very nature terrible at choosing between foods, and instead much prefer ‘and’ to ‘or.’ In the same way, on bonfire night I can never make my mind up, soup or dogs, dogs or soup? But should I really have to choose?
Well my friends, no longer! I have seamlessly combined the two to make a cockle-warming, nose-clearing and dam right filling soup. Simple and tasty this works perfectly in all situations; firework displays, dinner parties, winter walks, those snuffly bed bound days and it even serves as the ideal partner to brighten any grim Monday desk lunch!
So here it for all to use – I’d love to hear your feedback on it, either here or on Twitter or Instagram.
INGREDIENTS
1 butternut squash – cored, peeled and chopped into squares
1 Munchkin – – cored, peeled and chopped into squares
1 Red pepper
1 red onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried sage
3 tsp of crushed chillies
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1.2 litres (2 pints) stock (either chicken or vegetable)
150ml double cream
Salt and black pepper
150g good-quality smoked chorizo
METHOD
Firstly Preheat your oven to 180°C. One you have peeled and deseeded the munchkin and squash and chopped both into rough chunks place them in a roasting dish. Next deseed and slice up the pepper and place this in too. Drizzle the tray in olive oil, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and add the sage and half the cumin. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven to roast for around 40 minutes or until soft.
Next, chop and fry the chorizo in a heavy based sauce pan. Once beginning to crisp, peel and chop the onion and garlic and add to the pan. After the onion has softened add the roasted squash, munchkin and pepper. To this, add the chillies and remaining cumin. Once combined, pour in the stock, and simmer for 25 minutes.
Once this time is up, blend the soup until smooth using a stick blender, then add in the cream and taste for seasoning.
When you are ready to serve the soup, sprinkle on roasted munchkin seeds that have been tossed in cumin and if you have any remaining chorizo, fry it off into little lardons – these make the perfect garnish!
A little Tasty 