I’ve been away from the kitchen this month since my mother passed away just over one week ago. I am on a leave of absence from work and today, I was in the mood to create a recipe with fresh autumn ingredients.

My mother would have enjoyed this wholesome autumn soup because she loved butternut squash. I literally emptied my fridge this morning to create this creamy and fragrant soup made with butternut squash flesh, tart apples and other fresh ingredients.

Adding one or two dollops of walnut cream to each serving brings this soup to the next level. It is seriously delicious and filled with autumn goodness. I just might have another serving as soon as I am done writing this post.

Below is the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Have a lovely autumn.

Butternut squash and apple soup (with walnut cream)

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium/large-size cooking onion, diced
• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger root, peeled and diced small
• 1-2 garlic buds, diced small
• 4 cups butternut squash flesh, cubed
• 2 tart apples (not sweet), peeled and diced
• 1 big chunk of celeriac root, peel removed with knife and chopped small
• 2 celery sticks with leaves, chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1-2 teaspoons of paprika powder
• 6 cups (can add more later) veggie broth, homemade or store-bought
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Option: Walnut cream added to each serving (see recipe below)
• Garnish servings with: dry red pepper flakes, roasted seeds of choice, parsley

Procedure

In a very large non-stick soup pot, heat up the olive oil. On medium heat, sauté the onions for 2 minutes until soft. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add the butternut squash, apples, celeriac root, celery, carrot, cumin, paprika and toss. Partially cover and allow to cook on low heat for a good 30 minutes or until the ingredients are soft and caramelised. Make sure to toss from time to time. You can add a little bit of oil or water if you find it sticking to bottom.

Add the veggie broth, salt and pepper and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring from time to time. When ingredients are very tender, process the soup directly in the pot using a handheld blender until it is very creamy. You can also do the same by transferring the chunky ingredients with some of the liquid into the bowl of your blender and transfer back to the pot, although you might have to do this in several batches.

Adjust consistency by adding more veggie broth and/ or water.

Serve and garnish with fresh parsley leaves, dried red pepper flakes, roasted squash and sunflower seeds or other seeds of choice. If you’re in the mood, add a dollop of fresh walnut cream to your serving — it’s super easy to make and it’s so delish! When you add the dollop, just take a small pointy knife and zig-zag with the tip of the knife your way through the cream to spread it out and create an interesting pattern. See what you will get.

Below is the recipe for the walnut cream.

Walnut cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup shelled walnuts, softened in water in the microwave
• 1/2 cup of tepid water

Procedure

Put the walnuts in a small microwaveable bowl and cover them with water. Put a lid on the bowl and microwave on high heat for three minutes. Take out and strain the water using a meshed sieve. Run lots of cold water on the walnuts to cool them down.

Put the softened walnuts in your blender or NutriBullet bowl and add 1/2 cup of tepid water.

Process for 2 to 3 minutes until you can barely see any walnut specks in the mixture. Transfer to a glass jar that fits a lid and store in the fridge once the cream has cooled down.