We’ve just returned from a lovely holiday in Corfu. It is the most beautiful island, made famous by Gerald Durrell’s book “My Family and Other Animals” which was later adapted for TV, and we love to return there at the end of each summer to relax and unwind. There were beautiful sunrises and sunsets, swimming in pool and sea, lovely food and of course the chance for a little stitching in the sun!
But how is any of this a cautionary tale? I hear you ask. Well… much earlier in the year, in a bit of a hurry I picked a packet of seeds from the Kitchen Garden seed tin and planted (as I thought – the packet was a little faded) some butternut squash.
They didn’t seem to grow very much to begin with, probably because our summer here was very hot and dry. But then they started to grow and grow and grow, and by the time I returned from my holiday each squash was the size of a small child! I could only fit 3 in my wheelbarrow…..
Yes, that is a full size wheelbarrow they’re sitting in! Clearly they are not after all butternut squash but are in fact a variety called Jumbo Pink Banana Squash as I realised when I returned to the seed tin and studied the rather crumpled and faded packet more closely. I think we are going to be eating rather a lot of squash this autumn and winter and so I’ve been digging out all my recipes. I remember enjoying this soup last year and so I thought I’d share the recipe with you now….
Butternut Squash (or in my case Jumbo Pink Banana Squash!) and Red Pepper Soup
You’ll need half a butternut squash (roughly 850g). Remove the seeds, pop them into a sieve and rinse to cleanse them. Spread them out on kitchen towel to dry. Preheat your oven to 180C. Chop the squash and 2 red bell peppers into 1cm chunks and place into a roasting tin with 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the squash seeds to the tin too. GIve everything a good mix and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.
When the squash and peppers are cooked, remove from the oven and separate the seeds to save them for garnishing your soup.
Peel and chop one red onion and 2 cloves of garlic and fry in a tablespoon of olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Then add the roasted squash and red peppers to the pan along with the stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend to a smooth consistency, taste and season to your liking.
Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle the roasted seeds on the top, then give each bowlful a little drizzle of olive oil and a final pinch of smoked paprika before serving.
CLICK HERE FOR A PEEP INSIDE THE OCTOBER MAGAZINE
All subscribers should now have received their bumper October Magazine. If you’re a subscriber and you haven’t seen yours yet then please do let me know. Meanwhile, Rosie has pointed out to me that as the October issue is available throughout the month, then there’s still time to purchase a Final Year Subscription if you so wish.
I very much hope you’ll join me for this last year and so I have decided to offer the final year of the Bustle & Sew Magazine for a single payment of just US$30. (currently around £22.15).
This is equivalent to just $2.50 per issue (rather neatly, this was the original price of the first issue)
If you do decide to purchase the Final Year subscription, you will receive issues 189 – 200 on a monthly basis. The October edition will arrive in your inbox immediately, then you’ll receive the other magazines on the last Thursday of every month until 26 August 2027 when the final magazine will arrive.
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