How to Cook Butternut Squash-Lime Soup
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients needed to make Butternut Squash-Lime Soup:
- 1 lb 5 oz butternut squash, peeled and diced
- Juices of 2 limes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp mixed cress
- 10 oz baby spinach leaves
- 5 fl oz double cream
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 ½ oz butter
- 18 fl oz vegetable stock
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooking instructions for Butternut Squash-Lime Soup:
- Place a large skillet over moderate heat and wait until it turns hot.
- Melt half of the butter in the hot skillet until it foams and throw in the onions.
- Sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring often and stir in the squash dices.
- Continue to stir fry for another couple of minutes and add the garlic to the mixture.
- Sauté for a minute, stirring them all together and pour in the stock.
- Continue to cook the mixture until it starts boiling and reduce it to a simmer over moderately-low heat.
- Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes or until the squash softens and stir in a large splash of lime juice.
- Whisk in the cream until well combined and turn off the heat to cool the mixture for about 5 minutes.
- Tip it into a food processor and pulse them into a smooth puree.
- Sprinkle a dash of salt and fair amount of black pepper generously to season.
- Pour the puree back to the skillet and cook until warmed through.
- Pour ice water in a bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, fill a saucepan with water and simmer it over moderate heat.
- Stir in a splash of vinegar to the simmering water and crack the eggs into it, two at a time.
- Poach the eggs for a couple of minutes and transfer them gently to the bowl of iced water; cook rest of the eggs in a similar manner.
- Melt rest of the butter in a separate skillet over moderate heat ad throw in the spinach.
- Stir fry until they wilt and adjust the seasonings; drain them out onto a plate, lined with paper towel to soak away any excess grease.
- For serving, reheat the eggs in the simmering water for half a minute and drain them out onto a paper towel.
- Sprinkle a dash of seasonings to taste and set aside.
- Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top it up with the stir-fried leafy green.
- Place a poached egg on it and add a lashing of extra virgin olive oil over each serving.
- Finish it off with few cress and serve warm.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
