We Americans have finally been blessed with the finest British export: Come Dine With Me. I skip home every Tuesday evening giddy with excitement and settle down in front of the TV with a vegan feast. It’s my favorite night of the week.
A few episodes ago one of the contestants served pear and squash soup and I went “say whaaat?! I have to make that!” So I did. It’s a sweet and savory combination that when written out on a page doesn’t seem too appealing. But I promise it’s really quite scrumptious. It even cured my aversion to butternut squash!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 bartlett pears, cored and cut into chunks
1 sprig rosemary
1 quart vegetable stock
½ cup orange juice
1 pinch salt
Method
Heat oil in a large stockpot. Sauté onion and shallot until soft.
Add in all the other ingredients, cover and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 35 minutes.
Fish out the rosemary sprig and discard.
Blend soup until smooth in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
Serve hot with a sprinkling of parsley.