basics series for videojug. In this episode, I am going to be showing you my perfect winter

warmer. It is my spiced squash soup.

So for the squash soup, start off by prepping the squash itself. Just take the top off and

the bottom. Then there are two main parts of the squash. You have got the main kind

of neck here and then the base. So you want to just chop those two in half, and then using

a sharp knife, just peel off the skin, work your way around, and then just chop it into

thick wedges. Just put those on a roasting tray as you go. Now for the base, same again.

Just cut around with a sharp knife to get all of that skin off, and then cut this in

half. Take a spoon and scoop the seeds out and just scoop them straight into a bowl.

Do not throw the seeds away because I am going to use these as a little garnish later on.

I am going to take this base and then chop it into rough chunks about the same thickness

as your other pieces as well, just so everything cooks really evenly, and just do the same

again with your other squash. Then take some olive oil. Just give everything a generous

drizzle, and just before these go in the oven, this is another great little tip of how to

deal with garlic. I have got a piece of foil, pop your garlic in the middle, and then give

it a drizzle of olive oil, and just scrunch it up tightly, and nestle that just in the

corner there. That is going to take about the same length of time to roast and what

you are going to end up with is this lovely, rich, sticky, caramelized roasted garlic.

So now all of these go into a hot oven around 170 degrees for about half an hour or just

until the squash and the garlic are really soft. Now now it is time to toast the spices.

Cinnamon in, then our cloves, cardamom seeds, and cumin seeds. Now always keep an eye on

spices because they can burn very, very easily. This is my favorite kind of spice mix to go

with the roasted squash. But for a full list of ingredients, just check out the description

box. So that is ready. Smells really nutty, a little bit smoky. Beautiful. OK. Once you

have toasted your spices, it is time to grind them. So once you have had a good workout

and all of these spices are ground, this is what you end up with. It is really lovely,

fragrant spice powder. Because it is such great stuff and we have got these seeds left

over, I am going to sprinkle a bit over the seeds with a pinch of sea salt. Take a baking

tray.

Spread those out evenly and just pop them into the oven for about ten or fifteen minutes

and they will puff up and they are really lovely and crisp. So while they are roasting

away, we can start with the base of our soup. So time to fry off some onions and chili.

Take a heavy base pain and just heat it over a medium to high heat, and do not forget that

the pain is going to have to accommodate all of that squash as well, so make sure that

it is big enough. Some butter into the pan. So when the butter is foaming, add the onions

and the whole chili. You might think it is a bit odd adding a whole chili, but this way

you can kind of gauge the level of heat later on. Once the chili is cooked, we take it out,

chop it, and keep adding back to gain your right level of heat. So just fry those together

for about five minutes until the onion turns really lovely and soft. Add the spice mix

in and fry it for about another minute or so, just until it is really, really fragrant.

Looks like the squash is ready. So add the squash to the pan and now add the stock. When

you are making soup, really good quality stock is really important and add just enough to

just cover the squash. So turn the heat up high. You want to just bring this to a boil

and turn it down and simmer it for about ten minutes. Right. So that has had about ten

minutes simmering away. Everything gets beautiful and soft and it smells incredible. Now remember

that we put this whole red chili in earlier. We are just going to take that out carefully.

So take a liquidizer. Just carefully ladle everything in. So because this soup is quite

hot, it is important not to overfill. Put a tea towel over the top and just in case

anything does splatter up, it is going to stop that from hitting you. Just give that

a blitz for a good minute or two until everything is really smooth. This last stage of the soup

add some of the chili. Now what I do is just chop it up and add the chili a bit at a time

as you blend. Keep having a little taste and just see where you want your heat level. And

then our garlic that we roasted earlier. Cut the very top bit off and give it a squeeze

and all of that beautiful roasted garlic flesh will just fall out. Scoop that up and add

it to the soup. And finally, just for a bit of extra richness, some double cream. Blend

it again.

And there we go. It smells beautiful. All of those spices and that kind of nuttiness

works really well with that squash. Take a ladle, and then for a final flourish, I have

got some beautiful, soft goat cheese, and this works so well with the butternut squash.

It is salty. It is tangy, and just kind of melts into the soup as you eat it. And just

for a little bit of texture, these lovely squash seeds that we roasted up earlier. Just

a sprinkle over the top, and then finally, a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. If

you have enjoyed this recipe, click the subscribe button. Follow us on Twitter or come find

us on Facebook. Now all that is left to do is to have a little taste.

It is really smooth, creamy. There is a good kick of spice, and that lovely crunch of those

seeds at the end. There you have it. My spiced squash soup. I hope you have enjoyed this

recipe and I look forward to seeing you back in the kitchen again soon for another in my

back to basics series.