Topic · Soups Making 101
Orange Butternut Squash Soup, Ginger Prawns & Red Bell Pepper Coulis
Orange Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger Prawns and Red Bell Pepper Coulis
A beautiful tasty and elegant soup, you can substitute the squash with acorn or banana and even pumpkin. With this recipe, you will learn what a coulis is and how to use ginger.
Ingredient list for the soup:
- 2 tbsp olive oil, (extra virgin)
- 1 medium onion,
(chopped) - 4 4 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 2.5 lb butternut squash, (peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups orange juice
- Salt and white pepper, (to taste)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, (finely chopped)
Red Pepper Puree (coulis):
- 1 medium red bell pepper, (seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces)
- Salt and white pepper, (to taste)
- Water
Ginger prawns:
- 12 large tiger prawns or shrimps in the shell (about 1 lb),
(peeled and deveined) - 1 tbsp fresh ginger,
(peeled and finely grated ) - 2 tbsp olive oil, (extra virgin)
- 1 medium tomato, (diced)
Start the soup: Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions. Sauté until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic. Stir for 1 minute. Add squash, vegetable stock, and orange juice. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the squash is soft for about 40 minutes. Cool slightly.
Red pepper coulis: Place the pepper in a small saucepan. Cover it with just enough water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and when the vegetables are soft, turn off the heat, strain the solids but reserve the liquid.
Put the pepper in a blender with only enough of the reserved liquid to make it thin. Process until thin and add extra liquid to adjust the consistency. Then strain the coulis through a sieve to remove any bits of peel. Season and keep refrigerated.
Prepare the prawns: Toss prawns with ginger, olive oil, tomatoes in a bowl and marinate. Chill for 30 minutes.
Finish the soup: Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until very smooth. Thin the soup with more broth if desired. Simmer for 3 minutes, taste and rectify the seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in the freshly chopped cilantro.
Sauté the prawns in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl 1 tablespoon Red Pepper Puree into soup in each bowl. Add 2 large prawns per plate. Spoon the tomato over the soup and garnish with few cilantro leaves. Serve hot
