You can roast the squash and carrots ahead of time, and then put the rest together when you need it – it would be a great recipe to try if you’ve got people coming over. As usual, we froze what was left in batches to enjoy another day!

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

1 medium squash, peeled and cut into small cubes

8 carrots, cut into long pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

A handful of sage leaves

4 garlic cloves, peeled

A good dash of balsamic vinegar

1 onion, sliced

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs

600ml vegetable stock

A dash of red wine vinegar

Seasoning as required

Method

1. Heat the oven to around 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Place the squash and carrots in a roasting tray along with the olive oil, and then swish the tray about so that the oil coats the veg. Add the sage, garlic cloves (left whole), balsamic vinegar and season with a little salt and a lot of pepper. Roast in the oven until browned and the veg is soft.

2. Heat a little more olive oil in a pan and sauté the onion with the cumin seeds for about 5 minutes or so until the onion starts to soften.

3. Add the tomato puree and cook for a few minutes more before adding the red wine vinegar. Stir well and then add the squash and carrots, along with the garlic and any oil left over from roasting, as well as the mixed herbs.

4. Pour over the stock, making sure that the veg is covered (you can add a little boiling water here if not). Leave to simmer for a while (we think it was about 15-20 minutes!). Use a hand blender to whizz it up to your preferred consistency – we did this once it had cooled a little, but you could do it when it’s hot, but take care!

5. Serve with some crusty bread or focaccia – enjoy!

The post Roast carrot and butternut squash soup appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

A couple of weeks ago, me and my friend Daria had a little catch up in town – we were meant to be doing LGMC errands but ended up spending most of our time having lunch…and then cake! We both had some really yummy roasted tomato and mascarpone soup for lunch, and I decided to have a look and see if I could recreate it at home because it was THAT good.

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food website and it’s pretty close to what we had for lunch – yay! I’ll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients

1kg very ripe tomatoes
pinch golden caster sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
sprig of thyme and 2 fresh bay leaves, tied together
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp sundried or normal tomato purée
600ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese (or use double cream as alternative)

Method

1. Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 – 4. Bring a pan of water to the boil and get a bowl of iced water at the ready. Cut a small slit in the bottom of each tomato then plunge into boiling water in batches for 10 secs then lift out into the iced water.

2. Drain and peel the tomatoes then halve and place on a baking tray cut side up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and the sugar. Drizzle with the vinegar and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Roast the tomatoes for 1hr until semi-dried and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion and carrot gently for about 10 mins until very soft. Add the tied herbs and garlic and cook for a minute more.

4.Stir in the tomato purée then tip in the roasted tomatoes and any juices from the tray. Pour over the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 mins.

5.Remove the tied herbs and discard. Add the mascarpone then take off the heat, blitz well with a hand blender. If you want a smoother soup then it can be sieved but this isn’t really necessary.

6. The soup can now be cooled and kept for 3 days in the fridge or frozen for up to 1 month. For a dinner party, serve the soup with a sprig of thyme and a drizzle of good quality olive oil. Enjoy with some delicious bread – you can find my tried and tested bread recipe here.

Post updated 17th February 2020.

The post Roasted tomato and mascarpone soup appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

Our lovely friend Sandra gave us a homegrown squash from her allotment last week (there’s nothing like homegrown veg!), and I’ve been looking for something tasty to make with it. I’ve recently discovered the recipe finder on the Waitrose website and decided to see what it suggested – this soup recipe is apparently one of the most popular recipes on the site at the moment! If you want to view the original recipe, and find more new ones, click here. This is a really fruity soup and the chilli give it a nice kick – perfect for Autumn. And you can make it on a week night, as this takes less than half an hour from preparation to table!

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
1 brown onion, chopped
¼ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 butternut squash, deseeded and diced
2 Braeburn apples, cored and diced
1 litre vegetable stock

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 3–4 minutes. Add the chilli, cinnamon, squash and apples and cook for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the stock, cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until tender.

3.Purée using a hand held blender and season to taste. Enjoy with some fresh crusty bread.

The post Spiced Apple and Squash Soup appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.