Butternut Soup Shots With Crispy Pancetta Soldiers Recipes

BUTTERNUT SOUP SHOTS WITH CRISPY PANCETTA SOLDIERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Wrap a pancetta slice around each soldier. Toss with a little olive oil and bake for 5-8 mins until crisp, turning halfway through cooking.
• Reheat the soup, then divide evenly between 8 espresso cups or large shot glasses. Serve drizzled with cream and sprinkled with chives, with a crispy pancetta soldier for dipping.

BUTTERNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a soup pot and saute the onions until they are softened. Add the squash and apples and the ground ginger. Add the cider and stock, cover and cook until softened, about 25 minutes or longer. Blend the soup, thinning with additional stock if needed. Add heated milk or cream just before serving.
• TIP:
• VEGGIE SPAGHETTI
• Here's a great way to get your kids to eat squash! Just pierce the stem end of a spaghetti squash with a knife or metal skewer, and place on roasting sheet. Roast at 350 for about an hour, open, and create strands by pulling away the flesh with your fork. Serve with butter and Parmesan cheese or tomato sauce

ROAST CARROT SOUP WITH PANCETTA CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the carrots, half the oil, the garlic and thyme in a roasting tin. Season and toss everything together. Pop in the oven and roast for 45-50 mins, or until tender and beginning to turn golden.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and butter in a large saucepan. Tip in the onions and cook over a low heat for 10 mins until soft. When the carrots are done, remove from the oven. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and pop in the saucepan. Tip in the carrots and discard any woody thyme stalks. Pour over the stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
• To make the croutons, wrap the pancetta around the soldiers, leaving the ends of the bread exposed. Put on a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil and grind over some black pepper. Bake for 10 mins until the pancetta and bread edges are crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
• While the croutons are cooking, blitz the soup with a hand blender, then sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing to get as much liquid through as possible. Add 5 tbsp of the cream, heat through and season. Adjust the thickness with a little water, if you like. You can chill the soup for up to 1 day at this point, or freeze for 2 months. Reheat before serving. Serve drizzled with the remaining cream and garnished with thyme, with the croutons.

SOUTH AFRICAN BUTTERNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Peel and pip the butternuts, and cut it into about 5cm square chunks.
• Peel and chop the onions quite finely.
• Chop the garlic very finely, or push through a garlic press.
• Halve the Jalapeno pepper or green chillies and scrape out all the pips. Chop the green flesh very finely.
• Put the onions, garlic and chillies into the melted butter in a saucepan on a moderate heat and cook until the onions are soft and transparent. Add the lemon juice and chicken stock and stir until well mixed.
• Add the water and the cubes of butternut, and simmer until the soup is thick and all the ingredients are well blended together, about 1 hour.
• Liquidise with a Bamix or a food processer.
• Serve hot.
• Swirl a tablespoon or two of fresh cream into the centre of each bowl of soup just before serving.