Butternut Soup

Food, glorious food…
So, it’s autumn in Berlin and that means great food is in season: the pumpkin. I have never in my life seen so many weird and wonderful looking squashes. They are enormous. Plus, it’s cold now. And the only good thing about the cold is that it is mandatory to eat soup. All the time. For every meal. That’s right, isn’t it?
So, as half of the world is now getting colder, I thought it would only be fair to share my favourite soup with you all. It is of the pumpkin variety. Please enjoy!
You will need:
1 butternut squash
1 onion
1 can of corn
Oil
Milk
Stock
Pumpkin seeds to decorate
So, I like to keep things simple. I would suggest that you get the biggest butternut squash you can find. The ones here are up to 3kgs (and bigger than my head!!) but any size will do. If you want a massive soup, get two…
Peeling it is probably the most annoying and time-consuming of the entire process, but it is well worth it for the results. Slice into 1-2cm thick slabs and cut these again. Roughly cut the onion, or do two if you like onions, as I do. Then, get your hands all greased up and cover the pumpkin and onions with oil, before roasting them in the oven on 180 degrees for around an hour. If you remember, turn them over after half an hour.
Then, after nibbling a few pieces to make sure they are good (ahem), chuck everything into a big pot. Add a can of sweetcorn (this is essential, that stuff is delicious!) and then pour in 750g of liquid. Normally, I use mostly stock and a large dash of milk, but it depends how milky you like your soup. Heat everything up on the hob and once it is hot (it will only take a few minutes…), purée the whole thing. Add more liquid if you don’t like it as thick as porridge, until you get a consistency that you like. And that is literally all. Pour into a bowl, sprinkle over some pumpkin seeds for beautiful presentation and voilà! Super simple and oh-so nommy.