Week 49: Butternut Squash Soup

The Recipe
2tbsp butter (optional)
1 butternut squash, cubed
1 large potato, cubed
1 carrot, cubed
1 onion, cubed
150g bacon, sliced
2 bell pepper, sliced
1 liter chicken stock
2.5dl (~1 cup) cream or 1 can coconut milk
chili to taste
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of curry

Turn on the oven to 175C and bake the squash for 1 hour (poke some holes in the skin to allow steam to get out) - this will make it a lot easier to get the skin off.

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pot.

If necessary, add the butter to the bacon fat and cook the potato, carrot, onion and squash for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and leave to simmer for about 40 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Add bell pepper, bacon and cream and heat up. Season according to taste.


The Verdict
A bit of an experiment. I've never actually made butternut squash soup before, but I've had it a few times and always loooooved it. This was pretty good for a first attempt, and definitely worth making again just as-is, but I think I want to play around with the tastes a bit more. Baking the squash ahead of time should make it a bit sweeter, so I want to see what it's like if I don't do that first. I also want to try making it with coconut milk rather than cream.

But definitely something I want to make again. Even DH complimented it :)

ETA: I've now tried it again, and trying to peel the butternut squash without baking it first is a hassle and a half! Not sure it's worth it.
Substituting the cream for coconut milk is an excellent change though! It was even better than last time :-) Could do with a bit more bell pepper and chicken stock though. But really, really, really good :-) The receipe has been updated with my alterations.