BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP + Homemade croutons

Butternutsoup_Africanfoodblogger

 

I’m sure many of you have memories of being forced to eat pumpkins when you were growing up. For me I never really understood what my mother’s obsession was with pumpkins??? I mean they tasted horrible, to date I don’t think I have tasted a dish made with the (normal) pumpkin and liked it.

Well a few years ago while at a dinner party I was served roast chicken that had some roasted veggies in it. These veggies included the butternut squash. To me all I saw was a pumpkin so I put it aside and did not eat it. Well I was served this at a couple of other parties and one day someone literally forced it down my throat and….. what do you know? I actually enjoyed it.

Butternut has a sweetness to it. It sort of reminds me of the sweet potato.  I had had it boiled and roasted and did not know what else to do with it. I had been meaning to try making a soup with it and when I had a taste at a friend’s place I just had to try it.

 

The night I was to make the soup I called my girl Mona and asked her to come over for dinner, when she heard that I was making soup the African in her just had to ask how she could be having soup for dinner and she announced that she would have to go eat something else. Anyway I think she was quite satisfied by the meal. She especially loved the bacon bits and the croutons. Hope you will enjoy it too. HAPPY COOKING!!

 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP + Homemade croutons

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4

Ingredients

  1. 1 butternut squash
  2. 750ml of vegetable or chicken stock (if you don’t have this use water, I did) Chicken stock cube ( if using water, if using stock you don’t need this, I used Knorr)
  3. 1 large onion, sliced
  4. 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  5. 1 teaspoon chilli flakes ( optional, use more if desired)
  6. ½ cup of fresh cream
  7. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  8. Salt and pepper to taste
  9. 6 rashers of bacon, cooked till crispy and crushed/ cut into small pieces
  10. Croutons
  11. 2 slices of old bread ( crusts cut off and bread cubed)
  12. 2 tablespoons of butter
  13. 1 teaspoon of garlic

Instructions

For the croutons:

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees,

Heat a large pan and add melt the butter, add in the garlic and cook for about a minute, add the cubed bread and mix well ensuring they are all coated in the butter

Place on a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes until crisp

Soup

Sautee the onions till soft, add in the garlic and stir for about 1 minute Add the butternut and stir well ensuring it’s all well mixed. Cook for 3 minutes

Meanwhile mix 250ml hot water, if using, with the stock cube and dissolve, add in the chilli flakes. Add the remainder of the water and the stock cube water to the butternut and cook for 30-40minutes till the butternut is completely cooked and soft.

Transfer to a blender and blend till smooth, return to the heat. Add the cream and the cinnamon, stir for another 2 mins then serve immediately with bacon, croutons and some extra cream if you like HAPPY EATING!!

https://www.themothershipvillage.com/butternut-squash-soup-homemade-croutons/

 

 

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