Eat & Drink
Originally published on Thursday, 10th December 2009
Roast Butternut, Onion & Garlic Soup with Fresh Date Relish
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
(or equivalent quantity in pumpkin or other squashes),
halved and seeded 1 onion, halved with the skin left on
1 entire head of garlic, with just the pointy top sliced off
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
5 tbsp olive oila generous pinch of chile flakes
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepperstock,
milk and/or cream to thin
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
a large handful raw, hulled (green) pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt
Date Relish
a handful of dates, pitted and sliced thinly lengthwise
a small handful of parsley, finely chopped
zest of half a small orange, finely grated or minced
one shallot, finely minced
a drizzle or walnut, hazelnut or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 200 C.
Place the squash halves, onion and garlic in a roasting tin that fill fit all the vegetables snugly in a single layer. Tuck the thyme sprigs amongst the vegetables and drizzle with the olive oil. Scatter the chile flakes over top and season generously with the salt and pepper
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and roast the vegetables for an hour or until very soft. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile make the date relish by combining all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and set aside while you continue make the soup to allow the flavours to develop.
To make the candied pumpkin seeds, place the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Toast the pumpkin seeds for 5-8 minutes, shaking the pan frequently until the seeds have all ‘popped’ and are puffed up and smell nutty. Sprinkle over the sugar and salt and continue to toast, stirring constantly until all the sugar has melted and the seeds have a light coating of sugar. Tip the seeds out of the pan and spread on a sheet of foil to cool.
Scoop the squash and onion flesh from their skins with a large spoon and place them into the bowl of a food processor. Squeeze the head of garlic so that the cloves 'ooze' out and add them to the squash and onion. Process in the food processor until smooth.
Place the squash purée in a soup pot and whisk in the stock, milk or cream until it reaches your desired consistency. Warm the soup gently until heated through and check the seasoning for salt and pepper.
Serve ladelled into bowls with a spoonful of the date relish and a small handful of the candied pumpkin seeds on top.
Jennifer Klinec from Eat Drink Talk has kindly agreed to provide Urban Junkies readers with mouthwatering recipes and foodtips.
To learn more, classes at Eat Drink Talk are held in Jennifer's beautiful loft in Clerkenwell, packed with information and useful tips, and you'll get to sample all of the delicious dishes prepared during class.
In collaboration with Eat Drink Talk