Lucy's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
In winter, squash is a wonderful, colourful addition to the limited seasonal veg on offer. Pre-roasting the squash and combining with lentils really brings out the nutty side of these delicious winter vegetables.
1. Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5
2. Wash the squash and cut into 8 roughly equal slices (if using 2 medium sized quarter each one). Remove seeds but do not peel. Spread 1 tbsp olive oil over a baking tray or roasting tin. Place the squash on the tray, as evenly spaced as possible, and brush over another 2 tbsp olive oil. Make sure to cover all the orange flesh, but don’t worry about the skin.
3. Roast the squash pieces for 30-40 minutes, turning regularly, until the edges start turning a deep caramel orange colour. Remove from oven and leave to cool.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan. Chop onion and fry gently until soft. Finely chop garlic. Pick over lentils and wash well in a sieve.
5. Once squash is cool enough to handle gently peel away the skin (a teaspoon can be useful) and roughly chop the flesh. Add to the pan with the onions and pour in the stock. Add the garlic, lentils, bay leaf (and chilli + lemon/lime juice if using) and season to taste (but remember most stocks already contain salt). Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils have softened.
6. (If using coconut milk add it 5 minutes before the end of cooking time)
7. To serve, garnish with a tbsp of yogurt, stirred into a spiral