Spicy Pear And Butternut Squash Soup

The weather has been horrendous lately. Snow, ice, wind and rain. Ick. it is the perfect weather for soup. Hot, spicy, filling soup.

Pears, roast garlic and plenty of curry powder work beautifully with the bitternut squash. Yummy!

Ingredients. 

3 Pears

1 Butternut squash

5 or 6 Cloves of garlic 

2 Large potatoes

1 Onion

3 Good sized carrots

Some stock (home made or from a packet, I personally don't have enough room in the freezer to keep fresh Stock on hand.)

Mild curry powder

Paprika

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Method

Peel, de-seed and chunk the butternut squash. Peel, de-seed and chunk the pears. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. In a deep baking dish (like a lasagne pan) toss the squash, pear and garlic in olive oil, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1 of curry powder. Pop in a  hot over for 30 to 45 minutes.

Chop the onion, peel and dice the carrots and potatoes. Sweat the onions in a large soup pot with some oilve oil and some more seasoning if you like (I usually add another teaspoon or two of curry powder in at this point.) Toss in the carrot and potatoes and give a good stir. Spoon in the roast squash, pears and garlic. Pour over with warm stock until 3/4 to 4/5th full. Cover. 

When the potatoes and carrots are soft take pot off the heat and blend until smooth with a stick blender. This shouldn't be too much work. Pop back on the heat for 10 or so minutes until piping hot. 

Then serve up and enjoy! 

Minnie xoxo

Lets talk about scones.

Proper scones. Proper plain scones are a versatile little fluffy parcel of wonder. You can get a batch to the table in less than half an hour, you don't need to buy anything fancy to make them. And while we're at it a real scone mix is egg free. That's right. No eggs. And to boot they are great with everything, cheese, marmalade, golden syrup, clotted cream and strawberry jam. Or simply buttered. Brilliant with a cup of tea or a bowl of soup. From breakfast to supper.

(On a side note I am digging the camera cable out today, this is getting crazy.)

Ingredients:

200g of self raising flour (or 200g plain and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar)

25g of butter

pinch of salt

milk (butter milk, greek yogurt or any dairy free milk alternative) 

Method:

Sift the flour. add the salt. Rub or cut the butter through. Stir the milk in until you have a stick elastic dough. Tip out onto a floured surface. Roll out to about 2cm thick. Cut anyway you see fit! Mix makes about 5 good size scones or 10 small high tea style scones. Glaze if preferred with a milk or egg wash. Bake in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. 

Enjoy! 

Minnie xoxo