Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (a 1kg squash makes about 4 good portions, you could stretch it to 6 or even 8 starter-sized ones)
• Olive oil
• Butter (I use a reasonably large knob of salted)
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
• Vegetable stock (a cube is fine)
• 4 tbsp créme frâiche, plus more to serve
• 1 large tsp sambal

Method

1. Peel and de-seed the squash, trying not to get too angry or injure yourself. Cut into chunks roughly 2–4cm on each side.

2. Toss the chunks of squash in a roasting tin with enough olive oil to thinly coat them, maybe about 1 tbsp.

3. Roast for 30 minutes, turning halfway, at about 200°C (or 180°C fan-assisted). They should end up golden and soft enough to be cut with the side of a fork. Reserve.

4. Melt the butter in a large pan with a bit less than an equal quantity of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and sambal, stir together and cover.

5. Cook on a very low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15–20 minutes, until the onions have completely softened.

6. Add the squash to the pan, along with just enough vegetable stock to cover everything. If you’re using a stock cube, add that and cover everything with boiling water instead.

7. Cover and continue to heat on low for... some amount of time. You can skip this step if you’re in a hurry, but I like to give everything 20 minutes or so to sit together.

8. Remove from the heat, add the 4 tbsp créme frâiche, then blend with a stick blender until smooth. Season to taste — just some salt and pepper will go a long way here, I don’t normally add anything beyond that.

9. Serve with some more créme frâiche on top. I like to add maybe some chilli flakes or a dash of smoked paprika for colour. This makes a pretty good winter soup, and goes well with thick crusty bread and butter.