Spicy Butternut, Chickpea and Wild Garlic Soup
It's wild garlic season! I love foraging for wild foods, and wild garlic is, IMO, one of the easiest and tastiest foods to forage. It is widespread across the country, often found in shady woody areas, it's really easy to identify and it's delicious! It has a pugent garlic flavour with herby notes. Here, I’ve made the most of its delicious flavour by pairing with simple flavours to really let it shine - enjoy!
You will need:
1/2 large onion
2 garlic cloves
1 celery stick
1 carrot
small chunk fresh ginger
1/2 red chilli, deseeded
1/2 butternut squash
1/2 tin chickpeas
Veggie or chicken stock
Handful of wild garlic leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
How to make it:
Dice the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Add olive oil to a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and saute for around 5 minutes or until softened. Season.
Finely chop fresh ginger (don't worry about peeling) and chilli and add to the pan, sauteing for a further minute or two.
Peel and dice the butternut squash. Add to the pan along with the chickpeas and saute everything for 5 minutes.
Add enough stock to just cover the vegetables, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for around 20 minutes or until butternut is tender (or transfer to a slow cooker and leave for a few hours).
Once cooked, blend the soup until smooth. Season to taste.
Finely chop the wild garlic and stir through the soup just before serving.