squash and lentil soup with chilli and fennel seeds
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 squash
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 dried chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground fennel seeds
200g green lentils
Instructions
1. Cut up the squash into sections to make it easier to peel and de-seed. Then cut the flesh into small chunks (about 1cm, 1/2 inch).
2. Sweat a chopped onion in the olive oil with the garlic, chilli and fennel seeds for about 5 minutes. Then add the lentils (lentils de puy) and the diced squash.
3. Cover with water and simmer for about 40 minutes until both the squash and lentils are cooked.
The soup can be served like this or a cup can be blended and then mixed with the remaining soup.
Squash tips: The smaller squash are difficult and time consuming to peel and I am sure many of you will have cursed them if not cut yourselves in the process. The easiest thing to do with them is to cut them into segments, de-seed and roast, perhaps with a little rosemary for 20-40 minutes until soft. They often taste better if they are just starting to caramelise. They can be served like that, leaving your family or guests to decide whether to scoop out the flesh or eat the whole thing, skin and all.
If you are making a soup, risotto or other recipe requiring the flesh on its own, it is easier to cook them first and scoop them out with a spoon, than to try and peel them raw. The buff coloured butternut and blue/grey corwn prince are relatively easy to peel raw. Never put a whole squash in the oven, it will explode leaving you the task of cleaning the oven.
