“Autumn is the hardest season. The leaves are all falling, and they’re falling like they’re falling in love with the ground.”
― Andrea Gibson
Andrea Gibson is an incredible poet and activist residing in Boulder, Colorado, and she has written 13 books. Andreas poetry reminds me how life can be both simple and complex at the same time. How the smallest gestures can evoke an avalanche of emotion and reasoning.
Keep doing what you do Andrea. You are greatly respected.
Art and nature has that effect on me. My dear friend Dominique Sire sent me this autumn scene yesterday. She took this photograph outside her house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and how divine my reaction to it was. The stunning color of the autumn leaves, waiting to fall.
Each leaf waiting it’s turn to feed to soil.
Food also has that effect on me. A smell can transport me to a time spent with friends on holiday, or sitting at my grandma’s kitchen table. It really is the most incredible sensation.
The above picture inspired this recipe. The vibrant orange of the butternut squash is not only beautiful, but absolutely packed with goodness. Vitamins A, C, E and K, Magnesium, Zinc and a ton of anti-oxidants (to name a few).
Have it very simply steamed and blended, or add some aromatic herbs and spices to it to enhance the rich sweetness.
Our bodies need color as much as our senses do, and this soup will feed you, your family, and your friends more than just nutritionally.
Ingredients:
1 x large Butternut
1 x can Coconut cream
White onion
Olive oil
Rosemary
Smoked paprika
Cumin
Cinnamon
Ground coriander seed
Fresh lime juice
Pink Himalayan salt
Method:
Cut the butternut into large pieces, remove seeds and roast with the skin on (without salt or oil) on 400ºF (200℃) for 90 minutes. Occasionally check it and if it starts to blacken around the edges (which is what you want) you can cover it lightly with tin foil and turn down the heat slightly for another hour or so.
Let it cool before blending.
Healthy Side Dish Soup
In the meantime, roughly chop the onion and fry in olive oil on a high heat. I like the onions to be charred in some spots and raw in other places. Best of both flavors.
Add the butternut, onions, all the spices (about half a teaspoon of each), the rosemary and the coconut cream to your blender and blend for about 5 minutes until completely smooth.
Transfer to a large pot.
At this point you can decide whether you would like to add some water or vegetable stock for a soup with a thinner consistency. I prefer it as thick as possible.
Only season the soup when you have reached your preferred consistency.
Tips:
– Be careful with the lime juice. Too much is not nice.
– Frying the onions too much will bring out their sweetness (which is normally what you want), but since the butternut is sweet already you don’t want to add to that.
– For a really creamy soup, add two cans of coconut milk instead of of one can of coconut cream.
– Roasted garlic works SO well with this soup, but I found that when you use garlic rather do away with the herbs and spices. That’s just personal preference though.
Serve with toasted ciabatta rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with a good olive oil.
Embrace the seasons and it’s produce. We live in such a beautiful world where everything has it’s own place and timing.
Enjoy!!!