Roast your vegetables in honey before blitzing into this velvety smooth, spiced soup – served with garlic and lemon ciabatta slices for dipping
Prep:30 mins
Serves 8 – 10
For the soup500g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced1 tbsp clear honey1 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle2 onions, roughly chopped3 garlic cloves, crushed1l vegetable or chicken stock1 tsp cinnamon1 tsp grated nutmeg100ml double cream
STEP 1Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the sweet potato and butternut squash on a baking tray and add the honey and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast for 40-45 mins until soft and starting to caramelise at the edges, stirring occasionally.STEP 2Meanwhile, fry the onions in 1 tbsp olive oil until soft, then add the garlic, chicken stock, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 5 mins.STEP 3Remove the sweet potatoes and butternut squash from the oven and add to the pan with the stock. Blend everything until smooth using a stick blender. Stir in most of the cream and bring back to a gentle simmer, and season with salt and pepper to taste.STEP 4To make the lemon & garlic toasts, gently warm the olive oil and garlic in a pan over a low heat for a few mins; the garlic should be softened but not browned. Remove from the heat and mix in the butter and lemon zest until smooth. Leave to cool, then stir in the chives and thyme.STEP 5Toast the ciabatta slices, and top each with a spoonful of garlic butter. Serve with the soup, drizzled with the remaining cream, and some black pepper.
