Ingredients
- 2 lb butternut squash (pumpkin), cut in half lengthways with seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes dried, red
- salt, ground sea
- black pepper, ground
- 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes,dried, red
- 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, grated grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Recipe Description
This recipe is a real fusion of many different tastes and cultures. There is a little bit of the Middle East, India and Peru in this dish. And that sums up Melbourne cuisine, multi-cultural. It has been very interesting to watch the slow and steady rise of southern European, Asian and now Middle Eastern cuisines gain in popularity so that they are now on an equal footing if not more influential, than the traditional meat and three veg so common in the 1950’s and 60’s.
Roast some butternut squash with garlic, cumin and honey and then use this as the base for the soup. For a sublime soup, blend it until smooth (but you can also just leave it chunky for great comfort food). Top with a garnish of spiced quinoa.
Recipe Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 f (180 c)
- Place the garlic cloves in the hollows of the butternut squash. Drizzle the olive oil and the honey over the garlic and squash halves. Then sprinkle the cumin and dried red chilli flakes over everything. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile make the spiced quinoa. Rinse the quinoa with water and then soak for 15 minutes by adding the quinoa and 1 & 1/4 cups of water to a saucepan. After the 15 minutes, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes, fluff with a fork and let cool. Drain and place the cooked quinoa in a bowl add the remaining spiced quinoa ingredients and stir to combine. Put aside.
- When the squash is cooked, pour any liquid that has accumulated in the hollows, into a large saucepan. Allow the squash to cool for 10 minutes and when cool enough to handle, use a spoon to remove the squash flesh and spices and add to the saucepan. Add the chicken stock. When the soup boils, cover and then simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Use a stick blender to puree the soup.
- Serve the soup into bowls and top with the spiced quinoa.
