Quick and Easy Pumpkin Soup

cortijoblog butternut squash soup

QUICK AND EASY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

We generally harvest our butternut squashes in September and then leave them out in the sun for several days to ripen. It is important to treat them with care so that they don’t bruise and leave about 10cm of stalk on each one so that they don’t go off. We then store them upright in crates with a single layer in each one. They will happily keep for 5 or 6 months like that but you shoUld check them every so often just to be on the safe side. If you find that any of the stalks have fallen off, it is a good idea to peel and process them. Bags of grated squash or pieces can be frozen and later used in soups, stews or for bhajis or fritters.

cortijoblog butternut squash soup

Quick and Easy Butternut Squash Soup

This is a really quick and easy soup to prepare in the pressure cooker and only takes 20 minutes to make.

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 1 potato, roughly chopped
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 2 spoons of Greek yoghurt
  • salt and pepper

METHOD

  1. Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into chunks.
  2. Put all the ingredients in the pressure cooker and pour over the vegetable stock.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Stir well.
  5. Cover the pressure cooker and bring to pressure.
  6. Turn down the heat and cook for 20 minutes.
  7. Turn off the heat and leave the pressure cooker for 5 minutes before releasing the pressure.
  8. Blend with a stick blender.
  9. Check for seasoning and then serve.

Pumpkin spinach cannelloni

Pumpkin spinach cannelloni

pumpkin spinach cannelloni

Pumpkin spinach cannelloni

This recipe for pumpkin spinach cannelloni was based one I found in “Economy Gastronomy“. I particularly like the method for the cheese sauce which was really easy to make. This made enough for 4 people but you can easily split the quantities if there are fewer people.

INGREDIENTS:
1kg pumpkin, peeled and cut into thin wedges
4 cloves garlic, crushed
200g cottage cheese
300g fresh spinach, washed
300g button mushrooms, sliced
12 sheets lasagne
100g cheese, grated
40g butter, melted
40g flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

METHOD:
If using pre-cooked lasagne, soak the sheets of lasagne in hot water for 15-20 minutes and then lay out on tea towel.

Heat the oven to 200ºC. Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the pumpkin wedges on both sides until caramelised and brown. Put into the oven and roast until tender (about 30 minutes). Leave the pumpkin to cool.

Pour some oil into a large frying pan and gently fry the garlic before adding the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Fry until soft and then add the spinach, seasoning again as necessary. Turn the heat right down and wilt the spinach. Drain into a colander to get rid of any excess liquid.

Mix the flour and butter together and heat the milk. Whisk in the flour/butter mixture into milk and season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and mustard.

Mix the pumpkin and cottage cheese in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Put a couple of teaspoonfuls of the mixture on each sheet and roll up.

Layer the spinach and mushroom mixture on the bottom of the roasting tin. Put a row of cannelloni down the middle of the roasting tin on top of the spinach and pour over the cheese sauce.

Cook in the oven at 180ºC for 20-30 minutes until hot and golden on top. Finish off under the grill if necessary.