BUTTERNUT & SWEET POTATO SAGE SOUP

Butternut & Sweet Potato Sage Soup image

A delicious soup, lightly spiced with turmeric and served with crispy sage leaves & a drizzle of sage chilli oil.

Provided by Justine Wall

Time 55m

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 28

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 parmesan rind (if you have one in your freezer)
6 large sage leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp Marigold Vegetable Bouillon
1 litre water
500ml full cream milk
Salt and pepper
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 parmesan rind (if you have one in your freezer)
6 large sage leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp Marigold Vegetable Bouillon
1 litre water
500ml full cream milk
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
25g salted butter
1 red or green chilli, deseeded and sliced into rings
12 sage leaves

Steps:

In a very large pot (I use my stock pot) fry the onion, celery and carrots for about 10 minutes, and then add the parmesan rind, sage leaves, butternut, sweet potato and turmeric. Turn the heat up a little bit, and fry, stirring and shaking the pot, for another ten minutes or so.
Pop the lid on the pot, and let the vegetables "stick" a little bit: I find that this imparts a lovely flavour to the soup. Putting the lid on also steams the vegetables so that they cook a bit quicker. Keep shaking the pot with the lid on, almost as if you are making popcorn. Take the lid off from time to time, and scrape off any bits that have caramelised on the bottom. Keep doing this for about ten minutes, and then add the Marigold and litre of water. Stir well, making sure you have scraped off the bits on the bottom, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, which should take around 25-30 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, get on with your oil. Heat the butter and oil in a pan, until frothy. Add the sage leaves, chilli and garlic, and fry until the sage leaves have darkened ever so slightly, and have curled a little. Using a fork, remove the sage leaves and drain them on kitchen towel. Pour the oil, which contains the chilli and garlic, into little individual bowls: I use tiny glass or ceramic bowls for each person.
When the soup is done, remove from the heat, add the milk, salt and pepper, and remove the parmesan rind. Whizz to a smooth soup using a hand held blender. If you feel the soup is too thick for you, simply add a little more water and whizz again until you feel it is right.
Serve in large bowls, with the deep fried sage leaves sprinkled on top, and the oil on the side. The oil is a bit of a game changer- don't be shy with it.