Orange Soup

This is one of those soups that gets cobbled together out of the odds and ends in the fridge and ends up being so delicious that you want to remember it so you can make it again in the future. And it looks pretty darned attractive too! The word orange in the title refers to the colour, although there is a subtle orange flavour to it too.

Ingredients (to serve 4-ish)

about 250g each of diced butternut squash, swede and carrot
1 medium onion, chopped
25g butter
1 tsp ground cumin
large pinch dried chilli flakes
juice of one orange (I'd have added the rind too if I hadn't already used it in something else)
salt
1 litre water

to serve: grated cheddar cheese and black pepper

Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the onion gently until soft. Then stir in the chopped vegetables, mix well, cover and turn the heat to very low. Leave the veg to sweat gently for 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the cumin and chilli and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, then add the water and orange juice and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until all the veg are very tender - this will take 20-40 minutes depending on the tenderness of your swede. Allow to cool slightly.

Blend with a stick blender or liquidiser, then taste, season and reheat.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and black pepper to serve.