Leek, Winter Squash and Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 2 onions, diced
• 2-3 medium leeks, stems roughly chopped.
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 medium apples, cored and diced
• One medium winter squash, medium (approx 1kg), deseeded and cut into chunks
• 2-3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 can of butter beans (or other), drained and rinsed
• 2 Bay leaves
• A large handful of chopped fresh herbs of your choosing (we use sage and winter savoury, but parsley or thyme work as well)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 litre if vegetable stock
• 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil or butter for frying
• (To serve) Toasted seeds of your choosing
• (To serve) A drizzle of yoghurt
• (To serve) Crusty bread

Method:

1. Fry your onions and leeks in oil or butter in a large soup pot for 4-5 min until soft and starting to caramelise. Add your garlic and fry for an additional 2 minutes.
2. Add the chopped squash, carrots, apples, bay leaves, coconut milk, vegetable stock and soy sauce to your pot and bring everything to a simmer.
3. Part way through cooking your soup, add the chopped herbs and butter beans. If you prefer a milder flavour to your herbs, add them earlier. If you want your herbs to be more prominent, add gem towards the end of your cooking.
4. Cook everything until the vegetables are fork tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Pulverize the soup with an immersion blender or by transferring to a food processor.
5. Serve hot with a sprinkle of toasted seeds, a drizzle of dangy yoghurt and some crusty bread.