Stunning Squash Soup with Spiced Chickpea Flatbreads
The weather is getting colder, the nights are getting darker and the time for soups and stews is upon us. This vibrant butternut squash number has a kick of chilli and a zing of orange to really perk up a potentially miserable lunch time.
This is one of those recipes that really focuses on good ingredients played to their strengths. The squash is roasted until it is sweet and caramelised, the chickpeas are coated in fragrant harissa before being toasted until crunchy and nutty and the red onion is lightly pickled with freshly picked parsley leaves - to die for!
Stunning Squash Soup with Spiced Chickpea Flatbreads
Serves 6
1.5kg butternut squash
15g bunch of fresh thyme
2 heaped tsp harissa
olive oil
2 onions
1 fresh red chilli
3 oranges
2 litres good veg or chicken stock
1 x 660g jar of chickpeas
1 large red onion
red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
60g bunch of fresh parsley
3 tbsp whole almonds
6 small wholemeal flatbreads/wraps
80g feta cheese
sea salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C/305F/Gas Mark 4. Halve the squash lengthways, scoop out the seeds and chop into 2 cm chunks. Place in a large roasting tray, strip over the thyme leaves and toss with half the harissa and 1 tsp of olive oil. Roast for 1 hour or until golden and starting to char at the edges.
While the squash is roasting, peel the onions and slice with the chilli (deseed it if you don't like a kick). Cook very gently in a casserole pan on the lowest heat possible with 1 tsp olive oil and a splash of water, stirring regularly and adding more water as needed to stop it catching. When the squash is done, add it to the pan, finely grate in the zest of 1 orange, cover with stock, then bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, loosening with water if needed, then have a taste and season carefully to perfection.
Meanwhile, drain the chickpeas and toss with the remaining harissa in a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Toast until crispy and on the edge of catching, then remove. Peel and very finely slice the red onion and then place in a bowl. Top, tail, peel and segment the oranges, adding them to the bowl and squeezing any juice from the centre over the top. Add 1 tbsp each of vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then pick in the parsley leaves. Toss together and then season to taste.
Return the frying pan to the heat and toast the almonds, then remove and finely chop then add them to the chickpea salad. Quickly toast the flatbreads/wraps, fold them in half, pile in the salad and chickpeas, crumble in the feta, then roll up and squash ready for dunking. Divide the soup between bowls and dig in!
This is one of those recipes that really focuses on good ingredients played to their strengths. The squash is roasted until it is sweet and caramelised, the chickpeas are coated in fragrant harissa before being toasted until crunchy and nutty and the red onion is lightly pickled with freshly picked parsley leaves - to die for!
Stunning Squash Soup with Spiced Chickpea Flatbreads
Serves 6
1.5kg butternut squash
15g bunch of fresh thyme
2 heaped tsp harissa
olive oil
2 onions
1 fresh red chilli
3 oranges
2 litres good veg or chicken stock
1 x 660g jar of chickpeas
1 large red onion
red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
60g bunch of fresh parsley
3 tbsp whole almonds
6 small wholemeal flatbreads/wraps
80g feta cheese
sea salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C/305F/Gas Mark 4. Halve the squash lengthways, scoop out the seeds and chop into 2 cm chunks. Place in a large roasting tray, strip over the thyme leaves and toss with half the harissa and 1 tsp of olive oil. Roast for 1 hour or until golden and starting to char at the edges.
While the squash is roasting, peel the onions and slice with the chilli (deseed it if you don't like a kick). Cook very gently in a casserole pan on the lowest heat possible with 1 tsp olive oil and a splash of water, stirring regularly and adding more water as needed to stop it catching. When the squash is done, add it to the pan, finely grate in the zest of 1 orange, cover with stock, then bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, loosening with water if needed, then have a taste and season carefully to perfection.
Meanwhile, drain the chickpeas and toss with the remaining harissa in a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Toast until crispy and on the edge of catching, then remove. Peel and very finely slice the red onion and then place in a bowl. Top, tail, peel and segment the oranges, adding them to the bowl and squeezing any juice from the centre over the top. Add 1 tbsp each of vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, then pick in the parsley leaves. Toss together and then season to taste.
Return the frying pan to the heat and toast the almonds, then remove and finely chop then add them to the chickpea salad. Quickly toast the flatbreads/wraps, fold them in half, pile in the salad and chickpeas, crumble in the feta, then roll up and squash ready for dunking. Divide the soup between bowls and dig in!
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