Butternut squash & sage soup

My recent inactivity regarding posting is not because I have forgotten about my blog and my dear readers, but more to do with the fact that as the winter has arrived I resort to making a huge batch of soup, then freezing it and defrosting it as and when needed. Needless to say that it takes me quite some time to get though a whole batch of soup and, maybe more embarrassingly, I have treated myself to my all time favourite soups: tomato & basil soup and butternut squash soup. So I finally managed to rid myself of all the soup and when it came to preparing something to eat for the rest of this week I decided to give another soup a chance.

I have to confess that I still haven't gotten over my fascination with butternut squash and therefore when I set out to find a new recipe I knew what the main ingredient was going to be. Apart from the fact that butternut squash soups are so lovely in colour, pureed squash is nice and creamy - I can almost go as far to say that butternut squash soups (in various different forms) are a real comfort food for me. Nothing gets rid of the cold and damp feeling better than a hot bowl of soup served with a toasted bread. And the fact that vegetable soups in general are good for the waistline is just an added bonus!

While I was making this huge (this one is 8 servings) batch of soup on a cold Sunday afternoon, the aromas the filled the flat were absolutely amazing. Firstly the long frying of onions and chopped sage and then when the soup was simmering... I takes relatively little time to make this soup and that can be halved if you buy ready prepared butternut squash. It makes a lovely starter as it is not too rich to have, but at the same time it's a lovely warming and filling soup on its own and makes a perfect lunch or dinner, especially during wintertime. I've frozen most of it and will defrost during the week just by taking out the portion in the morning and leaving it on the counter and it will be nicely defrosted by dinnertime. All in all, it's a lovely dish and a nice change from my "usuals", easy to make, and most importantly warm and filling enough to get you through the dark winter evenings.

Ingredients

(Serves 8)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped sage
- 1.4kg peeled and deseeded butternut squash
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 1 1/2 vegetable stock
- Salt, to season
- Pepper, to season

Directions
Firstly melt the oil and butter in a large saucepan and add the onions and sage and cook on a low heat until they're really soft for around 15 minutes. Then add the squash and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the honey and stock and bring to simmer. Cook until the squash is tender (approximately 15minutes).

Blend the soup into a smooth puree using a handheld mixer and season to taste. Place the soup in a bowl, decorate with a sage leaf (I used deep fried crispy sage leaves) and enjoy!

Recipe from BBC Good Food