Butternut Squash Soup

Another great soup for a chilly autumn afternoon. Hearty and earthy, it is perfect as a start to a meal with a roast pork or lamb with rosemary and other herbs. Or, serve as lunch with garlic crostini.


Ingredients:
Olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
1 red onions, peeled and chopped
1 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
1/2 fresh red chile, to taste, seeded and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds butternut squash, halved, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 quarts good-quality Chicken or vegetable stock
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil.

Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels - you'll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you'll be left with a beautifully flavored oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chile and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft.

Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 30 minutes.

When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with an immersion blender or pour it into a standard blender and pulse until you have a smooth puree (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it's perfect. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.