While I like butternut squash, I often find it a little too sweet and cloying in a soup, so I decided to toy around and came up with this recipe. I love the color the squash gives, as well as the texture, but wanted to balance out its flavor to create something hearty, yet appropriate for a cleanse, i.e. dairy and gluten-free. And I refused to accept an end result that was was bland or left me feeling deprived.
Looking in my fridge I found cauliflower and a fennel bulb, along with ginger root. Happily they all worked well together to create something surprisingly delicate and fragrant, yet filling. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.
- 15m
- 15m
- 30m
Ingredients
- 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cauliflower, cored and cut into evenly sized florets
- 1/2 fennel bulb, sliced
- 1 small onion diced (or 1/2 a large one)
- 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- Vegetable broth (if you want vegan) or chicken broth, preferable homemade
- Dash of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan and then add a dash of oil. Allow to heat and then add the diced onion with a pinch of salt. Allow to cook without coloring for about 5 minutes.
- Add the ginger and chopped vegetables. Stir to mix with the onions and allow to sweat for a couple of minutes.
- Barely cover with broth (it\'s always better to start thick and then thin the soup if you wish) and bring to the boil.
- Turn down the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy.
- Transfer to a powerful blender like a Vitamix and ensure the lid is firmly secured and has a vented top that allows steam to escape (otherwise the top can blow off - trust me, you do not want this to happen). If you don't have a vented top, then allow the mixture to cool slightly before blending. My preference is to blend as soon as the veggies are cooked otherwise they can lose some of their flavor and integrity as they continue to cook for a bit even after the heat is turned off.
- Add the tahini and a good grind of pepper. Blend well. Taste, add salt as required.
- If you want a slightly thinner soup, now's the time to add a bit more broth.
- Serve hot with a grind of pepper, a nice drop of olive oil and maybe even a pinch of shredded coconut - yum!
Nutrition
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