BaconNut soup
It’s pretty straight forward, this one, and a great recipe to have in the armoury.
I’ve used it on plenty of occasions and it’s very versatile. It was inspired from a recipe in Jun Tanaka’s book - Simple to Sensational where the squash soup is topped with scallops, a real dinner party treat that one. Here, it’s a bit more FatSteak Club than dinner party so I’ve spiced it up a little and added some bacon!
Step 1 - The Squash
Heat the oven to 180C
Peel and de-seed the squash
Chop up the squash, leek and onion
In a pot with a lid, melt a knob of butter with a good pinch of salt over a low heat
Add the veg, give it a good stir and put the lid on. They will steam and slowly soften, bringing out their natural sweetness.
Give them a stir after 5 minutes. The steam should stop any stickingAdd 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
Whilst this is going on, move onto your bacon
Step 2 - The Bacon
Get two baking trays and some greaseproof paper
Lay the bacon out on a sheet covered in paper
Cover with some more paper then top with the other baking sheet
Put in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until its nice and crispy
Step 3 - Finish
With the veg nice soft and sweet, transfer to a blender
Add some chicken stock, a good pinch of good salt and blitz until smooth
If it’s too gloopy, add some more stock until its as runny or thick as you like
On a board, roughly chop the bacon
When ready to serve, pour the soup in a bowl, give a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle over the bacon
BaconNut Soup
1 butternut squash
1 red onion
1 small leek
Butter
Smoked paprika
Smoked streaky bacon
Chicken stock (why not make your own? Check here)
Extra virgin olive oil