Preparation is paramount in managing stress levels at Christmas, and this low FODMAP squash soup is an ideal time saver. It can be made in a big batch and frozen in advance to save valuable cooking capacity on the big day. I love this soup because it’s warming and wintery, while the addition of the chestnut dukkah and fried sage leaves make it special enough to serve as a Christmas Day starter.

Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend usually made with hazelnuts or almonds. We’re using chestnuts for extra festive vibes. It can be made well in advance and is also great in salads or just served with good (low FODMAP!) bread and olive oil.

The soup itself is made with mostly carrots to keep it low FODMAP. The amount of squash equates to 45 grams per person which is a low FODMAP serving. If you feel you can tolerate a little more, feel free to play around with the ratio. You could also omit it altogether and use other low FODMAP friendly vegetables that suit you.

I’ve also roasted the vegetables with garlic infused oil to impart some garlic flavour without the FODMAPs.

Recipe

Difficulty Rating: Easy

Prep/Cooking Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the soup:

1. 270g butternut squash; peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
2. 800g carrots; peeled and cut into chunks
3. 1 thumb sized piece of ginger; peeled and finely chopped
4. 20 sage leaves
5. 2 litres low FODMAP vegetable stock or water
6. 5 tablespoons olive oil
7. Garlic-infused oil for roasting the vegetables
8. 2 teaspoons sesame oil
9. Salt and pepper to taste

For the dukkah:

1. 100g chestnuts, roughly chopped
2. 100g pecans, roughly chopped
3. 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
4. 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
5. 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
6. 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
7. 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
8. 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (optional)
9. 1 teaspoon sea salt

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C / 180C fan
2. Mix the carrots and squash together, and drizzle on enough garlic-infused oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a large roasting tray ensuring that everything is in single layer. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through and slightly golden.
3. While the vegetables are roasting, put the garlic-infused oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sage leaves. They should sizzle for 30 seconds to a minute, once they stop sizzling and are crisp remove them from the oil and turn off the heat. Place them on kitchen paper to drain and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sage infused oil and leave the rest in the saucepan.
4. To make the dukkah: Place a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the pecans and chestnuts. Toast them in the pan, tossing occasionally, until just starting to colour. Transfer the nuts from the pan into a food processor. Place the pan back on the heat and add the whole spices and seeds. Toast these for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Add these to the food processor along with the smoked paprika and salt. Blitz everything for a few seconds until roughly chopped. Be careful not to over-blend.
5. Place the large saucepan with the sage infused oil back on a medium heat. Add the ginger and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the roasted vegetables and stock, and briefly bring to a simmer. Transfer everything to a food processor or use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Add the sesame oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste with salt.
6. To serve, sprinkle over some dukkah, top with a few fried sage leaves and drizzle with some of the reserved sage oil.

Barry McBride, MSc, Clinical Development Associate

16 December, 2020 | Recipes, Food