Soup recipes

[ian]

I can't tolerate butternut squash either, it's too sweet for soup. Pumpkin belongs in pumpkin pie. I imagine you can make sweet butternut squash pie, though I've never tried, and the Americans are obsessed with pumpkin, to the point of the abomination itself, the pumpkin spiced latte. A drink so sweet you can get diabetes through simply placing your order. Starbucks in the US offer free insulin shots.

[Feanor]

I can't tolerate butternut squash either

It's one of those vegs that really, really need to be roasted.
They just become an entirely different thing.

[spesh]

I can't tolerate butternut squash either

It's one of those vegs that really, really need to be roasted.
They just become an entirely different thing.

Indeed. It needs a little bit of char on the edges.

I'll roast it in olive oil with chilli flakes, pine nuts, sage and garlic, and occasionally add any or all of red pepper chunks, red onion wedges or quartered vine tomatoes. Serve with pasta, couscous or some bread to soak up the flavoured oil.

[citoyen]

The Jamie Oliver soup wasn't too sweet at all - the sweetness of the squash was balanced by the herbs and chilli, and the salty tang of the parmesan croutons.

I think that's the key point with most soups, really - balancing the flavours, not letting one dominate. I love a can of Heinz cream of tomato because the creaminess offsets the sweet-sour tomato flavour nicely. But your artisanal Covent Garden tomato soup can fuck right off - it's one dimensional, too harshly tomatoey, no balance at all.

[Regulator]

I can't tolerate butternut squash either

It's one of those vegs that really, really need to be roasted.
They just become an entirely different thing.

Indeed. It needs a little bit of char on the edges.

I'll roast it in olive oil with chilli flakes, pine nuts, sage and garlic, and occasionally add any or all of red pepper chunks, red onion wedges or quartered vine tomatoes. Serve with pasta, couscous or some bread to soak up the flavoured oil.

I think God created butternut squash specifically to be partnered with dried chilli flakes (She likes it spicy).

[ian]

I've never had a butternut squash that wasn't too sweet, but then I don't eat sweet stuff. I could probably make it work, I can do bitter, sour, spicy and everything else, but sweet makes me so-so. I know, I should have built up a tolerance being a regular in Indonesia and Malaysia.

[SteveC]

I like butternut squash. So there!¹ It's very useful for adding creaminess to a soup without using milk or cream.
For lunch today we had spicy butternut squash soup. Finely chopped onion and celery softened in that low calorie spray oil stuff, the garlic added. I roasted the squash as suggested upthread, using the air fryer. The squash had been frozen--some left overs and the remains of a packed of pre-prepared squash MrsC had bought for another recipe a few weeks ago.
Vegetable stock cubes, ras el hanout and chilli flakes.
I had intended to drizzle balsamic on it before serving, but the spices would have killed the taste and I think we may have run out anyway.
Not the most exciting soup I've ever made, but pleasant enough and there is more for tomorrow's lunch. 

1: As MrsC is fond of saying, 'there is no accounting for taste'. I suspect ian and I would chose very different items if we ever found ourselves in a restaurant together.

[Regulator]

I'm just making a Roast Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup.

- Cut the butternut squash and pumpkin into large pieces (I don't bother to peel them.
- Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with EV olive oil.
- Roast in a hot oven until soft and a char has developed on the edges.
- Once cool enough to handle, you can remove the skins or leave them on (to taste).
- Fry off a soffrito until soft.
- Add 3-4 cloves of garlic or a good squeeze of garlic puree.
- Cook off for a few minutes.
- Add the butternut squash and pumpkin, together with stock (I tend to use chicken but vegetable is fine as well).
- Add dried chilli flakes to taste.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or so.
- Blend the mixture (a stick blender is fine).
- Serve with another sprinkle of dried chilli flakes for decoration.

[ian]

I confess I was once taken upon the idea of concocting a root vegetable tagine, an idea that, as I ate the damnable thing, I was forced to lament. O the indigestion of regret. I evidently don't get on the stuff. I like carrot, but the concept of carrot soup, eek.

[L CC]

Carrot's too sweet for soup on its own, I do carrot & lentil. Plenty of worcestershire sauce and you're good.

But as whoever said upthread, I don't have recipes for soup, I just sweat veg, add stock & seasoning, simmer, blitz.

[Mrs Pingu]

In the correct thread this time

First I used up my stockpile of parmesan rinds (350g of them) to make parmesan broth in the pressure cooker.
Then I made this https://www.dontgobaconmyheart.co.uk/roasted-vegetable-soup/

[Mrs Pingu]

First I used up my stockpile of parmesan rinds (350g of them) to make parmesan broth in the pressure cooker.

Intrigued. How do you store the rinds and what to you do with them to make broth?

I've just been storing them in the door of the fridge but the shelf has gone quite greasy, I believe you can keep them in the freezer so I'll try that next time.
I had about 350g of rinds. I sweated an onion and some celery in the pressure cooker, put the rinds in a trivet on top (they stuck to this so you might want to put them in muslin to avoid pan stickage) with a bulb of garlic with the top cut off and a teaspoon of peppercorns. Covered it with water (1.5L), pressure cooker on high for 40mins and then let natural release.Then strained all the lumps out.

[SteveC]

Thank you. We get through a fair amount of parmesan, so I will give this a try.

[ian]

I tried it once, never got much out of them rinds, unless you like homoeopathic cheese. Maybe it protects you against mouse outbreaks.

[nicknack]

Parmesan rind? I just eat it. Yum.

[rafletcher]

I jnust chop them up and add to minestrone.

[Flite]

Parmesan rind? I just eat it. Yum.

Me too. Cook's reward.

[campagman]

As previously mentioned in the 'what did you do on the plot today' I have made some Artichoke soup.Rather nice it is too. Due to the bumper crop I will have enough to make some more.

[rafletcher]

A lentil soup today, starting with carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaf (removed before blitzing), oregano, cumin, some dark chicken stock and red lentils. A bit on the thick side, but that can be diluted.

ETA and a can of tomatoes. I omitted the chilli flakes in deference to my wife.

[Mrs Pingu]

I think I'm going to make broccoli soup next. Haven't quite ruled out stilton (though I'd need to buy it) as we do have some nice Isle of Mull cheddar from the cheese shop

[Regulator]

I think I'm going to make broccoli soup next. Haven't quite ruled out stilton (though I'd need to buy it) as we do have some nice Isle of Mull cheddar from the cheese shop

I love broccoli soup... 

[Mrs Pingu]

I think I'm going to make broccoli soup next. Haven't quite ruled out stilton (though I'd need to buy it) as we do have some nice Isle of Mull cheddar from the cheese shop

Burp! Stilton it was.