Ever since I moved to Portugal (almost 12 years ago) I’ve become accustomed to the very Portuguese tradition of having a cream of vegetable soup as a first course at lunch as well as at dinner. Even the schools here, which serve a three-course meal for lunch (public schools included!), always include a vegetable soup as a first course, followed by a main course and usually a fruit for dessert. Pretty amazing, right?
But how did I begin to make soup? This might come as a surprise to all of you after seeing all my impressive, 3-star Michelin recipes, but I was not always an amazing cook and baker. 😜 Just kidding! Jokes aside, after becoming a mom, I really had no choice but to learn, and learn FAST. In the beginning I truly dreaded it, but then I gradually started to enjoy it. I learned from lots of great sources: my parents, my sisters, cooking shows and YouTube videos. BUT when it came to creamy vegetable soups, I have my dear sister-in-law and super-mom Inês to thank. 😍 I called her up years ago and asked her to teach me 3 quick, easy and healthy soup recipes. This pumpkin soup was one of them, and it’s the one I’d like to share with you today, because it’s my sons’ favourite. Enjoy, Helena 😊
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 1 butternut squash
- 1-2 zucchinis (depending on size)
- Water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- (Optional) Garnish: Coriander/Parsley, crème fraîche, fried bacon bits and dry chili flakes
Method:
1. Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into chunks.
2. Peel the zucchini(s) and cut into chunks.
3. Peel the onion and cut it up into chunks.
4. Peel the garlic cloves and cut into thin slices.
5. Pour the olive oil into a big pot and sauté the garlic and onion for a few minutes on medium/high heat.
6. Add the butternut squash and the zucchini(s) chunks. Stir and sauté for another minute or two.
7. Add water until it covers all the vegetables.
8. Add the salt and stir.
9. Bring to boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer with a lid on for about 15-20 minutes until vegetables have softened.
10. Remove from the stove and use for example an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth.
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