Bagging A Lidl Bargain......the 49c Butternut Squash!

I do love a bargain, and in my life there is no room for 'supermarket snobbery' as I call it!
If I see an offer on things I know I will use then off I will trot, regardless of the establishment!
You may be of the opinion that Lidl does not offer the 'bells and whistles' of other supermarkets, and if you are thinking in terms of self service automated checkouts (which I detest) and butchery counters (where the meat has arrived vacuum packed anyway) then you are correct, but Lidl does what it does in a way that I, as a chef, cannot argue with...... and at a significant lesser cost to the buyer! so much so that there are other supermarkets that I simply do not bother to frequent any more.
Hot off the shelves this week, amongst other great bargains, were the 49c butternut squash...yes...49c for a butternut squash and no, they weren't tiny! they were of standard size and a great buy.


Butternut squash can be difficult to prepare for the uninitiated and to overcome this minor difficulty and reduce the risk of losing a limb during the chopping, I roast them in the oven. Not only does cooking them beforehand make it easier to scoop the tasty flesh out, but it adds a new dimension of flavour that does particularly well in a fine soup.
This recipe makes quite a large pot of soup, enough to feed a family of 4 plus a bit left over to enjoy for lunch or to take out in a flask.....great for school or work!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

You will need.....


300-400g butternut squash which is approx 1 big squash
200 g sweet potato
1 medium white onion
200 g carrots
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 level teaspoon of chilli powder
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
at least 1 litre of either chicken or vegetable stock as you like....have it hot and ready to go
100 mls creme fraiche or fresh cream
sea salt, black pepper
olive oil

How to.....

1. Cut the squash, with the skin on, in half length ways, scoop out the seeds and place the squash flesh side up on a baking sheet...my squash was huge so I ended up cutting it into 4 wedges!
2. If the sweet potato is big then cut it in half too, (otherwise leave it whole)
3. drizzle a little olive oil over the squash, season with sea salt and pepper
4. bake gently in the oven at 180oC until soft and the flesh has begun to caramelise...usually take about 15 - 20 minutes
5. remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before you remove the skin either by scooping out the flesh, peeling or rubbing the skin away
6. peel and roughly chop the carrot and onion
7. heat a little olive oil in a deep pot, which you will cook the whole soup in, add the carrots and onions and fry gently until they begin to brown 
8. add the flesh of the squash and sweet potato and mix well 
9. scatter in the spices and enjoy the heady scents as you stir them in
10. pour in the hot stock until the vegetables are well covered and beginning to float, if you need more liquid then feel free to add more, you can always add water if you don't have enough
    
    stock
11. strip the thyme from its stalks and scatter into the soup
12. bring the soup to the boil, turn down the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and let it bubble away gently
13. cook until all the vegetables are soft, probably about 15 - 18 minutes
14. when done, puree your soup with a hand blender or food processor....be careful of scalds!
15. return your lovely smooth soup to the saucepan and bring to the boil once more, stir in the creme fraiche/cream and mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed

You can serve your soup topped with some chunky croutons of real bread fried in a little butter to make them crispy or you can dry them out in a slow oven, even serve slices of toasted bread rubbed with a clove of garlic and drizzled with a little olive oil....extra virgin of course!

If you can't get your hands on sweet potatoes then just double up on the amount of squash, at 49c you can't argue with that!