Smoky Squash Soup with Roasted Almonds Recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
2 teaspoons paprika (use hot paprika if you like spice)
1 large butternut squash (around 1 kg/2 lb 4 oz), peeled, halved, deseeded and chopped into 3 cm (1¼ inch) chunks
75 g (2½ oz) smoked almonds or roasted almonds
1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Crème fraîche or soured cream
Freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Chunky bread

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium–high heat. Add the onion, along with a big pinch of salt. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add the garlic and paprika. Stir and cook for 2 minutes more.

2. Tip the butternut squash chunks into the pan, along with half of the smoked or roasted almonds. Stir well to combine, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and bubble away for 30 minutes, until the squash is completely softened. Meanwhile, roughly chop the remaining almonds.

3. Use a stick blender to blend the mixture into a smooth and creamy soup (or blitz, in batches, in a high-speed food processor). Add a little water if it’s really thick. Season to taste. It shouldn’t need any more salt, as the almonds should salt it enough.

4. Pour the soup into 4 bowls and top each serving with a dollop of crème fraiche or soured cream. Scatter over the reserved almonds and some freshly chopped parsley and serve with chunky bread.

Tip

You can roast the squash seeds with a little oil for a great snack.

Recipes extracted from ONE: One Pan, One Hob, One Meal by Elena Silcock, published by Hamlyn (£16.99).

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