Butternut Squash and Sage Soup

Ingredients

• 1000 g butternut squash
• 1 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1000 ml vegetable stock
• 40 g butter
• 12 fresh sage leaves
• 80 ml double cream
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Method

1. 1

   Melt half the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Dice the onion and cook for 6 minutes until soft. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute.

2. 2

   Peel, deseed and cut the butternut squash into roughly 3cm chunks. Add to the pan and stir to coat.

3. 3

   Pour in the stock, add a good grating of nutmeg and season well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the squash is completely tender.

4. 4

   Blitz the soup until smooth with a stick blender. Stir in the double cream and warm through.

5. 5

   In a small frying pan, melt the remaining butter over a high heat until foaming. Add the sage leaves and fry for 1–2 minutes until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon.

6. 6

   Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with crispy sage leaves and a drizzle of the brown butter from the pan.