Butternut squash and chestnut soup

Categories: November, soup

Ingredients

• 1 dried red chilli or 1/2 tsp crushed chillies
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 butternut squashes, peeled, deseeded (reserve seeds) and diced
• olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 12 slices pancetta, 6 chopped and 6 whole
• small bunch of fresh sage, chopped, plus 16 whole leaves to garnish
• 100g chestnuts
• 1 litre chicken stock, hot
• 142ml soured cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/fan 180˚C/gas 6. Grind the chilli and coriander in a pestle and mortar. Put the squash in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the spices and sea salt. Roast for 15 minutes, then push the squash to one side of the tin and add the squash seeds to the other. Drizzle the seeds with a little olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes, until the squash is tender and the seeds are crisp. Set the seeds aside to cool, then sprinkle with sea salt.

2. In a large pan, cook the onion in some oil over a medium heat, until softened. Add the chopped pancetta, sage and chestnuts and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the squash and stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Whizz up with a hand blender and season. Loosen with extra stock, if needed.

3. Meanwhile, place a frying pan over a high heat, add the pancetta slices and cook on each side until crisp. Set aside. Reduce the heat, add a thin layer of oil to the pan, then add the sage leaves and fry until crisp. Set aside with the pancetta.

4. Divide the soup between bowls, and top with soured cream, crispy pancetta and sage leaves. Serve with the roasted squash seeds and crusty bread.

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