As the leaves start to turn in some parts of the world and autumn is upon us, we’ve invited Mauritian chef and food blogger, Brinda Bungaroo, to give us a wholesome roasted butternut squash soup recipe with a touch of spice.

Brinda says: “Let’s kickstart the Autumn with some golden colours, packed with both flavours and richness. Make a meal out of this readily available sweet vegetable Butternut squash. A delicious, creamy soup packed with flavour and low in calories, ready in little time. This can be prepared in a pressure cooker to keep all the flavours. The soup recipe has been a long time coming, it’s a favourite in our household. Unlike pumpkin, squash as its name suggests is very buttery, therefore one soup where you can totally avoid adding extra cream making it dairy free (perfect for vegans).

“Roasting the butternut squash gives added sweetness and a rather caramelised taste. To spice it up even more, I have added one of my favourite spices: roasted cumin seeds, ginger and fresh herbs. All together makes a good concussion of nutty roasted flavour to this already delicious vegetable soup. Enjoy with simply some rustic bread.”

Ingredients

Serves 4-6
• 1 medium butternut squash (1 kg)
• 1 large onion – sliced
• 2-4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• Handful of fresh coriander – cut including the stalks (keep some for garnishing)
• 1tsp roasted cumin seeds
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 2Tbs olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
To note you either roast the pumpkin or grill on a pan with very little oil.
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F /Gas 6.
2. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways or in rings, using a spoon remove the seeds inside. Arrange the squash pieces in a roasting tin just big enough to hold the squash in a single layer and drizzle over the olive oil. Season each squash half with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. If you do this on a pan, heat the pan add a little oil and slowly grill the squash on all sides until soft and golden.
3. Heat a little oil in a heavy deep pot, add the onion, celery, cumin seeds, coriander stalks, grated ginger and garlic. Cook until beginning to soften, taking care not to let the spices burn.
4. Once the roasted squash is cool, peel and cut them into pieces. Add to the cooked onion, stir well.
5. Add the stock, taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary, bring to the simmer and boil. As the vegetables becomes tender and soft (usually takes about 20 minutes).
6. Turn the heat off and using an electric hand blender or liquidizer blend to a soft consistency. If too thick add a little more stock or water to get the right consistency you want. Taste for seasoning and adjust as per personal taste. Bring back to a little simmer and add some of the chopped coriander leaves.   
7. Serve hot with crusty bread, sprinkle some more chopped coriander leaves.

Brinda’s Note: It’s Gluten free and suitable for vegetarians.

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