This recipe first appeared in the February 2012 newsletter. If you’d like to receive a new recipe and informative health ideas in your mailbox every month sign up for the free newsletter.

This is a vegan reworking of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s butternut and nut butter soup that featured in the River Cottage Everyday lunch episode. The herbs, lime and nut butter turns a good soup into an extraordinary one.

Pumpkin, almond butter and lime soup

800gm – 1 kg pumpkin (Jap or butternut work well), peeled and cubed
1 – 2 tabs light vegetable oil (e.g. canola, raw sesame)
1 large onion, diced
1 small red chili, finely chopped (deseed if you don’t like too much heat)
3 cm root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 litre good quality vegetable stock
2 heaped tablespoons, almond butter (peanut butter or any nut paste)
The juice of 1-2 limes
Sea salt and pepper to season
Handful of fresh coriander leaves to serve

Prepare the pumpkin, the smaller the cubes the sooner the soup will be ready to eat. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, add onion and cook until translucent. Add chili, ginger and garlic and stir. Breathe in the heady aroma. Now add the pumpkin, coat with the onion and spices and then add the vegetable stock. This should cover the vegetables, but if it doesn’t add some more. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.

Once cooked, puree with a stick blender. (Let it cool a little for safety sake and put the pot in the sink if you want to protect the kitchen from splatters). Place the nut paste in a bowl, add a ladleful of soup and stir it thoroughly to get rid of lumps. Add the slurry back to the pot and stir well. Bring the blended soup back to a gentle simmer, taste and add seasoning as required. If the stock is salty you may not need to add more.

Serve with a generous squeeze of lime and a handful of coriander leaves. If you like it really spicy, top with a few slices of hot, red chili.

The original recipe is on the Channel Four site.

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