Roast Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Spiced Soup

One of the marvellous things about seasonal transition from summer to autumn is the return of delicious vegetables that seem to have vacated our shelves for several months. One of my favourite returning vegetables is the butternut squash. One should never underestimate the versatility of the butternut squash... It can be used peeled or unpeeled, roasted, boiled, in soups, casseroles, risotto...the list is endless. I couldn't resist buying several of these when I spotted they had made a return to the shelves. 

Today is yet another typical Irish September Sunday, with rainy showers and gusts of wind howling through the chimney. Having considered many tasty options for my butternut squash, I decided to opt for a roast butternut squash and sweet potato spiced soup...yielding delicious results!

Roast Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Spiced Soup 

(serves 6) 

1 Large Onion 

900g Sweet Potato 

2 Medium Butternut Squash

100g Carrots 

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2 tsp Ground Cumin

2 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tbsp Ground Black Pepper 

750ml Hot Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock)

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. 

2. Chop the peeled or unpeeled butternut squash and sweet potato into cubes and put into two roasting trays. Drizzle the vegetables with oil and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon, ground cumin and ground nutmeg. Roast in the oven for 40minutes or until tender. 

3. Whilst the butternut squash and sweet potato is roasting, gently heat a little olive oil into a pan and add the cumin seeds and black pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes before adding the chopped onion. Simmer until tender. Add the chopped carrot and the hot vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the carrot begins to feel tender. 

4. Remove the butternut squash and sweet potato from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before adding to the pot. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, adding more water if necessary. 

5. Take the pot off the heat and leave to cool a little for a few minutes before blending with a hand-held blender or a food processor.

Tip: This soup is delicious served with warm buttered wheaten bread. 

Nutritional content per 2 large ladle-scoops: 230calories, 8.4g fat, 37.7g carbohydrates, 5.6g fibre, 2.8g protein  

Delicious Irish Oaten Soda Bread Rolls

There's nothing quite like freshly baked Irish soda bread to accompany a delicious homemade soup - see my Red Pepper & Lentil Soup recipe!. One of my favourite things about baking bread is the lasting smell it wafts throughout the house as it bakes! 

One of my culinary idols is Nigella Lawson. Her recipes are always spot-on scrumptious! Being Irish, I was delighted to see a recipe for Irish Oaten Soda Bread Rolls in her 'Kitchen' book. A recipe I have tried and tested many times, always with delicious results!

Nigella's Irish Oaten Soda Bread Rolls

Makes 12 rolls 

400g Strong Wholemeal Flour 

100g Rolled Oats 

1tbsp Rolled Oats - set aside for topping

2 tsp Salt Flakes

2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

300ml Flat stout or beer

150ml Buttermilk or Natural Yoghurt

60ml Oil 

60ml Runny Honey

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with a sheet of non-stick paper. 

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, salt and bicarbonate of soda. 

3. Mix the beer, buttermilk, oil and honey together in a separate bowl or jug. 

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together. It will be a wet mixture that will become gradually thicker as the bicarbonate of soda begins to work. 

5. Mould the mixture into 12 balls and place on the baking tray. Flatten them slightly with your hands before sprinkling a few rolled oats on the top of each one. 

6. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 15minutes or until golden brown.  

Tip: These rolls are most delicious when served warm and eaten on the day they are made. They can be stored in an air-tight contained for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.  

Nutritional Information: 210 calories, 6.4g fat, 29.7g carbohydrates, 3.9g fibre, 6.2g protein

September's Scrumptious and Souplicious Transition from Summer to Autumn...

Summer is a beautiful season when leafy green salads sell like hot cakes and even the most serious of coffee drinkers find themselves tempted by refreshing iced drinks instead. We enjoy the summer season and then realise the months of June, July and August have passed us by where we have enjoyed so many colourful culinary delights - as well as the occasional ice-cream of course. Then, along comes the month of September. September is a time of seasonal transition - whilst we remain hopeful of warm climates visiting us once more, we also begin yearning for the cosy comforts the autumn and winter seasons bring.

Yesterday was September 13th, almost the middle of the month and noticeably cooler than previous weeks. It was the first day I really felt the need to put an extra warm layer on! I was yearning for a warm and comforting meal in the evening I so decided to attempt to re-create a lovely soup I had ordered at a cafe recently: Red Pepper and Lentil Soup

Here was the delicious result!:

Red Pepper and Lentil Soup 
(Serves 4)

2 Red Onions

450g Carrots

4 Celery Sticks

2 Leek stalks

300g Red Split Lentils

450g Red Bell Peppers 

3 tbsp Olive Oil 

2 tbsps Ground Black Pepper Corns

2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Ground Coriander

1 tsp Ground Cumin 

750ml Hot Chicken Stock of Vegetable Stock  

Natural Yoghurt or Fresh Coriander to serve 

1. Rinse the red lentils, then leave them to soak in a bowl of cold water whilst preparing the vegetables for the soup. 

2. Chop the red pepper and place in an oven roasting tray. Drizzle with 1-2tbsp olive oil and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.  

2. In a large pan, gently heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and black pepper to the pot. Simmer for 2minutes before adding the chopped red onion and simmer until tender. 

3. Add the lentils to the chopped onion, with the hot chicken or vegetable stock. Season with ground coriander and ground cumin. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. 

4. To the pan, add the chopped carrots, celery, leek. Cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes.  

5. Add the part-roasted red pepper to the pot and simmer until all the vegetables are soft enough to be blended. 

6. Take the soup off the heat and puree the soup in a blender, or use a hand-held blender and puree the soup in the pot. 

7. Serve in soup bowls as it is, or with a garnish of fresh coriander, or a swirl of natural yoghurt. 

Tip: This soup is delicious served with buttered warm mediterranean bread, or with buttered warm Irish brown wheaten bread. 

Nutritional Information: 265calories per serving. 0.7g fat, 43.2g carbohydrates, 7.4g fibre, 13.8g protein.