It’s ages since I made soup, and I probably wouldn’t have thought of doing it except we were given a butternut squash. Storm Kathleen was heading our way so our plans for going out for walk were shelved.
Low pressure will bring windy conditions and continued showers, especially in the west, as well as above average temperature in East Anglia. On Saturday a deep area of low pressure – now named as Storm Kathleen and the 11th named storm of this storm season – will move towards the UK and Ireland from the southwest bringing unseasonably strong winds to Ireland and western parts of the UK. A yellow severe weather warning for wind has been issued for the whole of Northern Ireland and the west coast of England, Wales and southern Scotland. The warning is in force from 08:00 to 22:00 on Saturday. Gusts of 50-60 mph are expected quite widely within the warning area, with the possibility of 70 mph gusts in exposed coastal locations, especially in eastern Northern Ireland.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2024/storm-kathleen-to-bring-strong-winds
So, with Kathleen in the offing and with a squash in the kitchen, soup seemed like a great idea. I didn’t consult a recipe even though it’s a while since we had a butternut, but I wrapped it in foil and put it in the oven on a lowish heat and roasted it while i tried to begin my tidying up campaign. Yes, I have decided enough is enough, and I have to get rid of loads of unwanted items, because to be honest, the clutter is getting annoying. Two things properly prompted me, one was watching Stacey Solomon’s programme ‘Sort Your Life Out’. In each episode she goes to help a family who have been overwhelmed with stuff, usually because of some difficulty they have encountered in their lives. I’m very lucky in my life, but I do become too attached to inanimate objects. The other person who prompted me was my cousin Ruth. She suggested I try to get rid at least one, or just one thing every day. So while the squash was roasting, I looked at the cast quantity of sick I have and thought that I do only have two feet, so far fewer would serve me just as well!
Back to the soup. Once the squash had roasted and was nice and soft, I peeled it and discarded all the seeds. I gently fried an onion, garlic and a couple of sweet peppers, then blended all the vegetables. I put them all back in the pan, added stock, seasoning, just a little cornflour blended with water – and that was it! Soup!
Lois Elsden 