Squatternut Bosh Soup

Good evening everyone and oh my gosh it’s so nearly Christmas! It’s Christmas Eve-Eve!!! Now, I am extra super excited for Christmas this year as I have been an actual ambassador of Christmas for the past few weeks - I have been Christmas-temping as an Elf for Santa’s Grotto! Since it’s a busy (and expensive) time of year, and I have recently moved house (also very expensive) I thought I’d do the sensible thing and pick up some part time work over the holiday period, and what better job to have at Christmas time than as Santa’s very own little elf! So, I’m making my debut this week online as Elf Rachel, my official name whilst on the clock. My duties include escorting Santa everywhere (he is a very important man, and cannot be seen anywhere without his equally important elf helpers, obviously), gathering the names of all the little (and not so little, Santa isn’t ageist) girls and boys (and anything in between) to put on Santa’s naughty or nice list, being Santa’s camera-woman (he’s famous, lots of people need photos taken with Santa!) and of course assisting Santa in finding the perfect present for every one of those children (or not-children).

So, having worked very hard in my little elf-ish line of work each day, I come home with very tired little elf feet, and more importantly a very hungry (and sadly not so little) elf tummy. Each night, I want something that is quick and easy, but also delicious and filling and warming on these cold Winter nights (really cold - the pavement was frozen on the walk to the Grotto today - white Christmas??!). So, in this blog post, I am going to detail the quick and easy process of my firm favourite Winter Warmer meal! Squatternut Bosh Soup. (Butternut squash soup for those with a firmer grasp of reality than I) So, you get in from a long day at work or Christmas shopping, with aching feet and a headache from the stress of your day, and all you want to do is sit down with a cup of tea and a mince pie. However, it’s 7pm and you’re starving and you know if you sit down now then you won’t be getting up again until it’s time to drag yourself to bed. (Maybe that’s just me?) Lo and behold! I have a solution for you! A meal that requires only a bit of chopping, a bit of blending and a lovely crusty piece of bread for dipping and that’s all! For an extra bonus too - if you make a large enough amount, then it will last you so you can have it for lunch or even dinner the next few days too. Here are the simple steps to follow to be able to get to that mince pie, and not feel bad for eating it - since your dinner will be full of veggie deliciousness! I made enough to get 2 or 3 bowls out of this recipe, but that was with very, very thick soup, so feel free to adjust accordingly for portions and thickness...

1. First thing to do when you get in is to pop the oven on at 180 degrees, just to heat up while you’re chopping. Then, (very roughly) chop up about ¾ of a butternut squash, into cubish shapes, the faces being about the size of a 50p piece (probably square instead of hexagonal though, unless you’re really patient). Along with your butternut squash, rough chop a handful of baby potatoes and three or four peeled parsnips, as well as a whole onion and three or four garlic cloves. (As you may have gathered, this isn’t really a very precise recipe, and I know it might be quite annoying, but I tend to just use what I have available in the cupboard, which is why I’m using such slapdash measurements. However, that’s what’s great about vegetable soup - you can use pretty much anything you have to hand, and once you’ve blended it all, it will be delicious regardless!!) 2. Once you’ve got all these chopped, whack them all in a baking dish and drizzle on some oil, as well as a sprinkling of seasoning and spices, I tend to go for salt, pepper, paprika and cumin, and then if I have any, some fresh thyme and rosemary as well. Once you’ve done this, shake the dish a bit to make sure everything is nicely coated before popping it in the oven. Now, you can sit down for the cuppa you’ve been dying for! Check the veg occasionally to make sure it isn’t burning, but it should be in there for at least half an hour before it’s ready, you’ll know when they are as they’ll go golden brown and a little bit crispy on the edges. Once you’ve got them all roasted, you can remove them from the oven and ready your blender! 4. Scoop your veggies into your blender and take some boiling hot water with a veggie stock cube to add in there as well, to help the blender out a bit. This next bit is personal preference so add stock a little bit at a time, blending in between, until you get the perfect soup consistency. Once you’ve achieved that, add some creme fraiche or double cream to make it just that little bit more creamy, blend again, ladle into some bowls and you’re good to go! I recommend a hearty slice of crusty bread or toast for dipping and some salad to garnish if you have any. The whole process usually takes me about an hour from start to finish, but most of that is sitting down with a cuppa while the veggies are roasting, so the only real effort you have to make is chopping the veg - and I believe supermarkets even offer chopped veg for you these days too, so this really is such an amazing ‘school-night’ meal. I hope you enjoyed this post and even more importantly, I hope you enjoyed making and eating this Winter warmer meal! I’ll catch you next week, which will actually be my partners birthday! See you then, Rachel x