Spicy Butternut Squash Autumn Soup.

My favourite autumn soup : a delicious, filling and nourishing soup with a good spicy kick. Full of what your body needs. I cook it in bulk as it freezes beautifully for weekday lunches.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking time 35 minutes.

1 tbsp light olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped.
2 garlic cloves, crushed.
1 tsp of cumin seeds, roasted lightly and ground.
1 tsp of coriander seeds, lightly roasted and ground.
1 cm (y2") fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped or to taste.
Zest of 1 lime or lime juice.
1 tsp of runny honey
680g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2.5cm dice.
1.2L vegetable stock.
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped.

To Garnish:
150ml of total 5% yoghurt.

Method:
Heat oil and cook onion and garlic in a covered pan for 10 minutes, without colouring. Stir in the spices, ginger, chilli, lime zest and honey and stir for 30 seconds. Add the butternut squash, juice of half a lime and the stock. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are almost tender. Add the chickpeas and taste for seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes then add the remaining lime juice to taste. Cool a little, then puree in a liquidiser until very smooth, adding more stock if necessary to achieve the required consistency. Reheat gently and stir in the coriander just before serving. Serve with a swirl of yoghurt.