South African Butternut Soup

Submitted by ZAR-INA

"This recipe is so simple, and yet is the tastiest butternut soup ever! I am quite sure that the chilli pepper has a great deal to do with its success, it really is just a hint of a burn, but brings out the rich, nutty flavour of the squash perfectly. For this recipe to be truly wonderful, a home-made chicken stock is the ideal choice, so the little time it takes to boil up some chicken carcasses and herbs is well worth the trouble, there are loads of simple recipes for chicken and other stocks in almost every cookbook and on most cooking websites. If you don't want to take the time to make your own stock though, then make one from a stock cube or powder. I do not honestly know what can be used as a substitute for the butternut squash, if it is not available in your country, because pumpkin does not work well, although it does look similar to a butternut in colour. The texture of a butternut is much smoother and finer than pumpkin, and it is a lot sweeter. Perhaps it is rather more like a sweet potato in both texture and colour than a pumpkin."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 45mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Yields: 2 litres
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 kg butternut squash
• 2 large brown onions, finely chopped
• 3 small garlic cloves, finely chopped or 1 elephant garlic clove
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 250 ml water
• 3 small strong green chilies or 1 large jalapeno, no pips, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 250 ml fresh pouring cream

directions

1. Peel and pip the butternuts, and cut it into about 5cm square chunks.
2. Peel and chop the onions quite finely.
3. Chop the garlic very finely, or push through a garlic press.
4. Halve the Jalapeno pepper or green chillies and scrape out all the pips. Chop the green flesh very finely.
5. Put the onions, garlic and chillies into the melted butter in a saucepan on a moderate heat and cook until the onions are soft and transparent. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock and stir until well mixed.
6. Add the water and the cubes of butternut, and simmer until the soup is thick and all the ingredients are well blended together, about 1 hour.
7. Liquidise with a Bamix or a food processer.
8. Serve hot.
9. Swirl a tablespoon or two of fresh cream into the centre of each bowl of soup just before serving.

Reviews

[Kathy S.]

Great recipe! Boiling chopped potatoes (or sweet potatoes) with the onion and butternut adds to the taste and the bulk of the soup. :)

 

[tebogo r.]

Amazing recipe. I too roasted the butternut first. I also added thinly chopped coriander. Wow!!! ??????????

 

[Cayla T.]

Amazing! Made it for my husband and sister-in-law and they immediately said "Wow!" And that its the best soup they've ever had. Few things I did differently - Baked the butternut halves for 40 mins before adding them. I didn't have lemon juice so I didn't add that. I added a bit of salt to enhance the flavour, and added all the cream the big pot. Was great!

 

[Pelisa L.]

I don't usually eat soup but I followed this recipe all the way through (only forgot to add the cream at the end) and I have to say this is the best soup I've ever had in my life - my husband enjoyed it as well. I added Ciabatta bread and grilled chicken on the side (because it wouldn't be a South African dinner without meat *hides*) Will definitely make it to impress my in-laws this winter!

 

[Peter J.]

I stuck to the recipe and thoroughly enjoyed it. A great recipe.