Butternut squash soup

Ingredients

20ml rapeseed oil
250g chopped onion
5 crushed garlic cloves
2 finely chopped lemon grass sticks
2cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
125g chopped leeks
125g chopped sweet peppers
125g chopped carrots
750g chopped butternut squash
2 bay-leaves
2 thyme sprigs (picked from the stem)
50g tomato puree
500ml coconut cream
25g Essential Cuisine Light Vegetable Stock mix
75g Essential Cuisine Aromatic Base
1.7ltrs water
25g coriander
25g thai basil leaves
Twist of freshly ground pepper
Sea salt seasoned to your taste

Method

Heat the rapeseed oil in a suitable saucepan, add the chopped onions, garlic, lemon grass, ginger, leeks, peppers and carrots, fry gently until they are tender with not too much colour.

Stir in the butternut squash.

Add the bay-leaves and thyme.

Add the tomato puree and coconut cream, stir well.

Stir in the Essential Cuisine Light Vegetable Stock, Aromatic Base and water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.

When cooked, remove the bay-leaves, stir in the coriander and basil leaves, blend the soup in a liquidiser or with a stick blender until smooth. 

Pass through a sieve into a clean pan. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and bring back to the boil.