Honey Roasted Butternut & Orange soup

This is of course the season for soups, stews and curries and with it suddenly being sooo cold in Pretoria, I thought I had to make us a good, comforting soup last night. I absolutely adore any form of Butternut soup and I’m constantly thinking of new things to add to it or different variations. Last night I decided to roast the butternut with a good drizzle of honey and I also added some carrots and sweet potato to add sweetness, flavour and colour. It came out exceptionally well. I served the soup with Cheesy Bruschetta (I drizzled thick slices of bread ( I used White Boule from Woolies) with Oil and popped them into a very hot oven until they were just starting to go golden and crisp, then I topped them with grated cheese, placed them back in the oven and allowed the cheese to melt).  I topped the soup off with Chilli roasted Pumpkin seeds. I just took the seeds that I removed from the Butternut, placed them on a baking tray with a drizzle of chilli oil and some honey, popped them into a hot oven until they were caramelised and allowed them to cool. Really a great way to add texture to such a silky smooth soup! Enjoy!

Serves 6 as Main course

3 Medium Butternut, Peeled and chopped (keep the seeds aside for roasting)
2 Large Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and Chopped
3 Large Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
3tbsn Honey
2tbsn oil3tbsn Butter
1 cup Leeks, Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
2tbsn Fresh Sage, Chopped
1 cup Orange Juice
1 litre Chicken/Vegetable Stock
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Cream
Pinch of Nutmeg
Salt to taste

Place the Butternut, Carrots and Sweet Potato on  a baking tray and drizzle the oil and honey over. Place in a 220°C oven and Roast until soft and Caramelised.
In a large pot, melt the butter and add the leeks and garlic. Cook until soft then add the vegetables and sage. Allow to fry for 5 minutes and add the Orange juice and Stock. Cook for 20 minutes and blend with a hand blender/food processor. Add the milk, cream and seasoning and allow to come back up to a boil and heat through. Serve with Cheesy Bruschetta.