October 28, 2021

Roasted Butternut and Chinese Five-Spice Soup

Name: Roasted Butternut and Chinese Five-Spice Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 large butternut squashes (peeled); 2 garlic cloves (peeled, finely chopped); 1 medium brown onion (peeled, roughly chopped); 1 stalk celery (sliced); 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp chinese five-spice; ½ tsp cinnamon (grounded); 1 tsp fresh thyme (finely chopped (plus some for garnish)); 2 l vegetable broth; 1 tbsp butter; ½ cup cream (optional); ¼ cup fine biltong (for serving); salt & pepper

Roasted Butternut and Chinese Five-Spice Soup

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Roast Time 30 mins

Course Soup

Ingredients

2 large butternut squashes peeled
2 garlic cloves peeled, finely chopped
1 medium brown onion peeled, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chinese five-spice
½ tsp cinnamon grounded
1 tsp fresh thyme finely chopped (plus some for garnish)
2 l vegetable broth
1 tbsp butter
½ cup cream optional
¼ cup fine biltong for serving
salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Peel, halve and seed the butternut squashes. Cut into cubes of roughly 2x2 cm.
Peel and roughly chop the garlic, onion and celery. Arrange the butternut, garlic, onion and celery on a sheet pan and dress generously with the olive oil. Sprinkle on the Chinese Five-Spice, cinnamon and chopped thyme. Toss to coat evenly. Season well.
Roast until the butternut is tender and have a golden to deep brown color at the edges. The onions should be dark and roasted. This takes approximately 30 minutes. Toss halfway through to ensure an even roast. Remove from the oven.
In a large casserole, combine the roasted butternut and warm vegetable stock - make sure to scrape down every bit of roasted veg from the pan. Simmer for 8-10 minutes before removing from the heat.
In batches, place the soup in a thermo-resistant blender and process until completely smooth. Return to the casserole and stir in the butter and cream (optional). This will help make the soup appear glossy and creamy. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.
Serve piping hot and garnish with some fine biltong and fresh thyme.