Butternut Squash and Parmesan Soup

As autumn takes hold and the temperatures drop we start to think about those foods that give us comfort and warmth. Even more so if we are in a caravan. 

Soups are an easy meal to create, especially if you carry a blender in your Eriba Kitchen. This recipe for butternut squash and parmesan soup is simple and a delightfully refreshing yet warming meal, especially if served with artisan local bread you have picked up from the local market or baker. 

The ingredients (listed to the right) are simple enough to pick up all the year-round and can be cooked on a low simmer to give you the perfect warming bowl when you return from that autumnal walk through the woods. 

Put a good knob of butter and a good dash of olive oil in your saucepan to melt together.

Having peeled and chopped your onion, place in the saucepan to start to soften. Then add your Butternut squash. 

Add two cloves of crushed garlic and 1 large bay leaf. Continue to soften for a couple of minutes.

Add a litre of vegetable stock and season to taste with salt and pepper (if you do not want black ‘bits’ floating in your soup use white pepper). 

Let simmer until vegetables are soft. (About 20 mins.) 

Blend the vegetables until smooth and a nice velvety consistency has been achieved. 

Now if you are going for that walk you can leave the final preparation to when you return and are ready to eat the soup. 

When ready to eat re-heat the soup to boiling. Take off the heat and stir in the juice of half a small lemon. Then stir in the finely grated parmesan cheese, letting the cheese melt into the soup. 

Serve in bowls with a garnish of parsley, and plenty of that artisanal bread you have just walked into town to get. 

Enjoy!