Simple Balance - Celery and Squash Soup

Balanced and beautiful - fresh celery and squash soup, a light lunch

Celery and Squash Soup (vegan)

Sometimes an accidental combination just sings out loud. A few sticks of celery and half a butternut squash are denizens of the Monday fridge, leftovers from the weekend. But rejoice! The lightness and slight bitterness of celery balances the sweetness and creaminess of the squash and the two flavours meld like cheese in an omelette.  It’s even good enough to make on purpose. It’s a great lunch time soup with a simple salad and some good bread.
 
Serves 4               Timings:               30 minutes

• 4 sticks of celery, about 150g, peeled and de-stringed, cut into small pieces. If there are any leafy bits, keep them to add as a garnish.
• 1 medium onion, about 150g, peeled and sliced.
• ½ a medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into dice, about 200g.
• 800ml vegetable stock – home made, from a cube or from a jar – I like the Nine Meals from Anarchy vegan stock paste you can get in a jar, it’s so very intense and I use it in many of my soups.
• Henderson’s Relish – a good shake of the bottle

 
Gently fry the onion and celery in a little vegetable oil until tender, 5 minutes. Add the cubes of squash and stir around. Add the vegetable stock, relish, and a little grind of pepper. You probably don’t need salt as the stock is salty enough but taste and adjust to your liking.

If you have had the oven on and you know you’re going to make this soup, you could also roast the squash cubes for 30 minutes in a medium oven with a little oil, but I wouldn’t put the oven on just for that.

Simmer for 20 minutes, then cool and liquidise. You can add the reserved celery leaves before you blend or hold them back for a garnish. Check the seasoning and serve.