Settle into the winter spirit with this delicious roasted butternut and clementine soup with a kick of lemony saffron oil . So divine it’ll excite your tummy.
Roasted butternut and clementine soup with lemony saffron oil
Ingredients
SOUP
- 1kg butternut chunks
- 300g orange sweet potato chunks
- 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 small French leeks, rinsed and sliced into rounds
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- zest of 1 clementine + 60ml (¼ cup) clementine juice
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1,25L (5 cups) chicken stock
- 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
LEMONY SAFFRON OIL
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- pinch saffron threads
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 60ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt flakes, to season
- 60ml (¼ cup) fresh cream, to serve
- 40g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped, to garish
Instructions
For the soup, preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the butternut, sweet potatoes and carrots in a large roasting dish. Drizzle with the 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle the ground coriander over and season, to taste.
Place in the preheated oven to roast, 45 – 50 minutes, until the vegetables are tender with caramelised edges.
Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat and sauté the leeks and celery until softened, 10 – 15 minutes. Add the clementine zest, juice and grated ginger.
Add the roasted vegetables, stock and coconut milk to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the celery is tender, 20 – 25 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Stir in the 1 tbsp lemon juice.
For the lemony saffron oil, heat the 2 tbsp lemon juice in the microwave on high for 20 seconds. Add the saffron, lemon zest, honey and chilli flakes. Set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Stir in the 60ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil and season lightly with the salt flakes.
To serve, ladle the soup into 6 heated bowls. Drizzle with cream and saffron oil and scatter over the chopped toasted hazelnuts.
ALSO SEE: Beetroot coconut soup with crisp ginger lentils
Beetroot & coconut soup with crisp ginger lentils
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
