Roasted squash, carrot and ginger, with a yoghurt spiderweb.
A golden soup for Halloween supper. Roasting the vegetables brings out their sweetness, while fresh ginger adds warmth. The spiderweb is optional, but worth a little flourish.
Serves 4 · Prep 20 minutes · Cook 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and deseeded, about 800g prepared weight
- 3 medium carrots, about 300g, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 20g fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 900ml vegetable stock, plus extra if needed
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 tbsp plain yoghurt, loosened with a little milk or water
- 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C fan / 220°C conventional / gas 7.
- Cut the squash into roughly 3cm pieces. Put it on a large roasting tray with the carrots and onion. Toss with the oil and a little salt and pepper.
- Roast for 35–40 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender and lightly coloured.
- Transfer the vegetables and any tray juices to a large saucepan. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and a splash of stock. Cook gently for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Add the remaining stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend until smooth, following your blender’s instructions for hot liquids. Add a little more stock if needed, then taste and season.
- Ladle into bowls. Pipe the yoghurt in a spiral using a piping bag or a small food bag with one corner snipped off. Draw a cocktail stick from the centre towards the edge in several places to form a web.
- Scatter pumpkin seeds around the edges and serve with warm bread.
Make it plant-based: use dairy-free yoghurt.