Butternut Squash, Lentil and Ginger Soup

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I love the combination of the sweet and smooth butternut squash soup with the tangy pesto spooned generously on top. A fresh herb pesto not only livens up the palate and the plate with its vibrant flavour and colours, but is very beneficial nutritionally because it’s a great way to get more nuts into your diet. Nuts provide many valuable nutrients including healthy fats and protein. This pesto contains pecans which are the most polyphenol-rich nut. These are compounds that act as antioxidants to protect against damage from free radicals.

 

Ingredients

  • 150g  red lentils

  • 2 red onions, diced

  • 1.5 litre chicken or vegetable stock.

  • Coriander seeds, 1 tsp

  • Cumin seeds, ½ tsp

  • Knob of ginger, grated

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

  • sea salt and black pepper

  • A fresh lemon cut into quarters to serve.

For the za’atar pesto:

  • 1 large bunch of flat leaf parsley

  • 2 tbsp pecans

  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

  • 2 tsp za’atar

  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed

  • Generous glug of olive oil

  • Sea salt

Directions

To make the pesto:

Combine the parsley, pecans, lemon juice, za’atar, garlic and a little sea salt in a food processor and add a generous glug of olive oil and pulse to blend. You can use leftovers as a topping for roasted vegetables or with pasta dishes.

  1.  Peel and dice the butternut squash into large chunks. Place on a baking tray and rub in olive oil. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 25 mins.

  2. Meanwhile rinse and soak the red lentils. Then toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan from a couple of minutes. When turning fragrant grind to a coarse powder in a pestle and mortar.

  3. Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions for 15 mins. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the lentils, stirring to combine everything.

  4. Add 1 litre of hot chicken or vegetable stock. Cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a blender with the roasted butternut squash.

  5. Reheat gently and serve drizzled with the pesto, a little extra olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon.