Butternut Squash Soup with Puy Lentils and Parma Ham Grissini
Mel
4
10 minutes
20 minutes
305
Soups & Bowls
Butternut squash soup with puy lentils is one of those dishes that invites you in before you’ve even picked up a spoon. Sweet butternut squash is simmered with thyme and garlic then blitzed until silky, poured over a small mound of earthy puy lentils beneath. Finished with a gentle swirl of cream and a sprig of thyme, serve the crisp grissini wrapped in Parma ham on the side – salty, crunchy and deliciously textural. It’s the sort of starter that sets a relaxed, generous mood, perfect for an easy supper or the beginning of a lunch that quietly stretches on.
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut, peeled and deseeded
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme, plus a few more for decoration
- 800ml chicken stock
- 200g puy lentils, cooked in stock (alternatively use a sachet precooked)
- 600ml chicken stock
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Grissini (Italian bread sticks)
- 100g Parma ham
- A splash of double cream
Directions
- Put the puy lentils in a fine mesh sieve and run cold water over them. Place them in a saucepan with the chicken stock and seasoning and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Top up the stock if the lentils get dry.
- Cut the butternut into even sized pieces and add them to a large saucepan. Add the garlic cloves and thyme and then pour over the chicken stock. Simmer until tender. Add seasoning and then use a stick blender to puree.
- Wrap slices of Parma ham around each grissini.
- To serve, spoon a small mound of the lentils into each bowl and then pour over the soup. Add a dash of cream and a sprig of thyme for decoration and rest the Parma ham wrapped grissini on the side.