Day 61 - recipes, a trio of soup

As the cold weather continues to tighten its grip, soup asserts itself as my best friend and saviour. So this week me and the man have created three different soups which I'd like to share as they are wonderful.
First up:
Butternut Squash soup, 
Ingredients
4 onions
2 cloves of garlic
2 large carrots, peeled and cubed
1 squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
salt, pepper, thyme and chilli,
1 pint chicken stock
1 pint chicken gravy
Small handful of Spaghetti (broken into small lengths.)

Begin by sweating the onion, garlic and chilli, when the onions begin to soften add the carrots and squash and prepare your liquids. After 10 minutes (or when the veg has begun to soften) add your herbs and seasoning and then add your stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for half an hour. Whizz in batches until your soup is nice and creamy, but always leave a few lumps as they are satisfying to eat. Add your small amount of pasta and simmer until cooked. The pasta isn't necessary but it adds a bit of weight and depth.

Slow roasted Red Pepper and tomato soup
Ingredients
2 red onions
5 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
1kg tomatoes (or just a lot!) I went for cherry tomatoes but you can use whichever.
500g peppers, halved and deseeded ( I used the dinky sweet peppers in a variety of reds, oranges and yellows.)
1 chilli, deseeded,
1 pint of stock (chicken or vegetable)
salt, pepper, basil, brown sugar, paprika
olive oil,
tomato puree

Place your peppers into a roasting tin, give them enough room to touch the pan, drizzle with olive oil, and add seasoning and herbs. In another tin do the same with your tomatoes, add your garlic cloes (still in the skin) to the tin and roast in the over at 200 for 25-30 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare your onions, chilli carrot and stock. Begin to soften the veg in a pan and prepare yourself for a bit of messy work.
Once your peppers and tomatoes are ready (the skin will be blistered and soft) transfer them to a mixing bowl and cover with cling-film for a few minutes. The steam will help loosen the skins a bit more as these are very bitter and need to be removed. The more the steam can do the less you have to.
With your onions and carrots softened begin the long task of skinning your roasted vegetables, it's ok to leave a little skin left on but you want to get rid of as much as possible. This takes a while and does get messy, but its worth it. Add your roasted veg to the pan, season with a bit of sugar, paprika, salt and pepper and add your herbs. Cover with stock and bring to the boil, simmer for half an hour and then whizz until smooth and creamy (again, some lumps may be desired.) I put a dollop of cream cheese into each serving which adds depth and reduces the tanginess.

Last up its The Man's Mushroom soup
Ingredients
600g Mushrooms (you can go fancy, but your average mushrooms have a nice flavour and don't cost a bomb)
2 cloves of garlic
1 red onion
1 pint chicken stock
salt, pepper, thyme, parsley
Olive oil

In a pan fry your sliced mushrooms in some olive oil, add onions and garlic, herbs and seasoning and let it cook down for a minute. Cook for about 20 minutes until the moisture begins to evaporate then add your stock and bring to the boil. Let simmer for half an hour, then whiz and season to taste. I came home from work to this and it was so rich and creamy, you can use fancy mushroom and dried porcini for more flavour but in my opinion this recipe is simplicity at its best.

So there are three really nice recipes for you to try your hand at and enjoy this winter. I always go large on soup making and store it in the freezer for lazy days.