Recipe Cream of Leek, Squash and Saffron Soup

SatNavSaysStraightOn

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I was on the hunt for squash based soups because the local village runs a pumpkin festival each year and in the spring give away free squash plants. We picked one up last spring and now have a lovely large squash that needs a suitable recipe. And given that the current challenge is saffron, I went hunting for something to do with squash and saffron.

It is entirely up to you as to whether you skin the squash first but it is not totally necessary. However with thicker skinned squashes you may find you'll want to pureé everything rather than keeping some vegetables aside . If you do, consider reserving half of the sweetcorn to add at the end. It will add texture to the soup . Should you want to add more protein to this otherwise vegan dish you have a couple of options including substituting some of the veg stock with soya milk. Don't use soya cream if you're after protein, it doesn't have the same quantity as soya milk. Another option and my preference is to add silken tofu (or soft standard tofu ) prior to liquidising everything.

Ingredients
1 small pinch saffron strands steeped in hot water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large leeks, thinly sliced
4-6 cloves garlic finely chopped or crushed
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 large squash, cubed (1cm cubed) any variety with a good firm flesh
2 cups frozen sweetcorn (consider reserving 1 cup and adding at the very end of you left the skin on the squash, see note above)
1 packet silken tofu ,broken up or roughly chopped (optional)
1 1/2 litres vegetable stock
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method
  1. Add the oil to a warm a large saucepan, add the leeks and stir well. Cook until the leeks start to brown slightly ,stirring occasionally. Now add the garlic and thyme, stir well and cook for 30 seconds to a minute until the cooked garlic smell is detected .
  2. Add the saffron and water stirring well, now quickly add the remaining ingredients except for the sherry vinegar and bring to the boil. Simmer for roughly 20-30 minutes until the squash cubes are tender.
  3. Remove from the heat and remove a couple of ladles of vegetables from the soup and set aside (read note above first). Now liquidise the rest, blending until smooth .
  4. Return the soup to the saucepan. Add the reserved veg if you reserved any, and allow the soup to stand for at least an hour before serving, ideally longer.
  5. Reheat just before serving, adding the sherry vinegar.

I'll add photos once I've made it!
 
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