This was one of my first cooking experiments that inspired me to start up a blog, actually… it was one of my friends that inspired me to start up a blog. She’s a Beauty Blogger, goes by the name of Aseya and the mommy of a very popular beauty blog – www.prettyinthedesert.com. Trust me its well worth a visit, and since seeing her blog, I have been inspired to start up a blog and post up all these whimsical creations that pop up in my head as I walk through the grocery stores 
So getting back to Butternut Squash and Carrots; together these guys make a damn delicious couple.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 medium sized Butternut Squash
- 3 medium sized carrots
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 2 potatoes
- 1 tomato
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- 2 Organic tomato stock cubes
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1½ tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1½ tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 4-5 cloves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Cut the Butternut right about the center across and scoop out all the seeds. If you prefer you can cut it length wise as well, but I saw an excellent opportunity of using it as a serving bowl
- Slice and Scoop
Here is the tough bit; scoop out all the flesh from the hollow side (don’t throw away the flesh) , I used a serrated spoon or a grapefruit spoon and try and get most of the flesh out as possible. Skin the other fleshy half and cut into medium sized cubes and set aside.
- Skin the other half
Cut up the potatoes and carrots into cubes similarly and set aside as well.
Dice the onion and garlic and toss into a saucepan; add in the cloves and cinnamon stick as well. As the onion and garlic start getting soft add in all the flesh of the butternut and the cubes of the carrots and potatoes. I know, the scooped up bits of the butternut may just look like a mush or a mess at the moment, but don’t worry it all goes to a blender later.
Give all the ingredients in the saucepan a quick stir and let it sit for about a minute. Add water to barely cover the ingredients in the saucepan. When everything starts to simmer a bit, pop in the stock cubes and make sure they are completely dissolved. Add the cinnamon powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and give it a quick stir. Once that is done add 1 cup of water and let it boil till the potatoes and butternut is cooked. Make sure you stir it, you don’t want it to burn. Finally, add the tomatoes in the end and let them cook for about 5 minutes.
Once everything is cooked and starts smelling yummy, set aside and let it cool for 15 minutes. Empty the ingredients in the blender; however be-careful not to throw in the Cinnamon sticks and cloves. The cloves have a bitter taste when ground and we don’t want that to infect our soup. Don’t throw these away either, set them aside. I also set aside a few chunks of butternut squash and carrot; it gives the soup more texture and quite fun to bite into.
Once everything is pureed (you may want to add a cup of water to ease the blender a bit) to a thick paste-like consistency, pour it back into the saucepan with the cinnamon,cloves and a few of the carrots and butternut chunks you set aside earlier.
Right before the soup comes to a boil add in the chickpeas, grated parmesan and juice of 1 lemon. Cook for another 5 minutes and its ready to serve with a sprinkling of parmesan on top. Garlic bread is great with it, or you could do what I did and have it with finely sliced chorizo.
Enjoy!
- Tadaa
Eaternally Yours,
Drina C.
This is a post I wanted to share about a month ago to be precise.. its just that I haven’t really managed to get my head around it. Amidst the 10km run that I have been training for, and the Bikram yoga I enrolled myself in to sustain a healthier lifestyle, and organizing photographs of Africa; buying time for a blog post seemed close to impossible. But now that the run is over and I am done sorting 7 memory cards (out of 9), I’m glad to say hello to my keyboard again. Continue reading 
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