The Ultimate Butternut Squash Soup

This is actually my all-time favourite winter soup. It is very easy to make with easy ingredients to find on your local groceries.

Prep time: 20 minutes or 10 minutes (if you can find a ready cut butternut cubes, you will save at least 10 minutes of prep time)
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash (peeled, seeded and diced)
• 2 medium carrots (peeled and chopped)
• 1 apple (cored and roughly chopped)
• 1 white leek (only the white part, chopped)
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped (only the celery stalk, put the celery leaf back on your fridge)
• 1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 garlic, peeled and roughly sliced
• 1 chicken leg (to get more natural flavour)
• olive oil

Spices

• 1 chicken/veg stock cube
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• pince of nutmeg (optional)
• pince of cinnamon powder (optional)
• pince of cayenne powder (optional before serving)

Serving with

• crême fraiche (cream)
• garlic croutons / garlic bread

Method

First. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C while you’re cutting the vegs. Put the butternut squash cubes into baking tray, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with some olive oil. Put it on the oven.

Second. Meanwhile, Pre-heat 1 table spoon of olive oil on a large  stockpot. Add the garlic, red onion, leek, celery, and chicken leg. Stir for 5 to 7 minutes.

Third. Turn off the oven and take out the baked butternut squash and add into the stockpot. Add the apple and stir it well.

Fourth. Add some water at the same level with the vegs. Add chicken stock cube, season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegs until the vegetables are all tender (check it with a fork).

Fifth. Once the vegs are tender. Take out the chicken leg from the pot. Turn off the heat. Let it cool down for a bit. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Add cinnamon powder and nutmeg. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed.

Sixth. Pour the soup into a bowl, add a table spoon of cream and springkle with cayenne powder. Serve it with some garlic croutons or garlic bread.