Butternut squash velouté with toasted pumpkin seeds

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Despite the elegant presentation, this butternut squash velouté recipe from Simon Gueller is relatively straightforward to put together. The starter celebrates the exquisite versatility of squash, making the most of butternut, pumpkin seed and pumpkin oil.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Butternut squash velouté

Pumpkin seed paste

  • 200g of pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 50g of pumpkin seed oil
  • 50g of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt

Pickled butternut squash

  • 200g of butternut squash
  • 100ml of ice wine vinegar, Simon uses Minus 8 vinegar
  • 50g of water
  • 50g of sugar

To serve

  • 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1 handful of micro herbs
  • pumpkin seed oil

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Stick blender

Method

1
To make the velouté, place a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add the butter. Once foaming, add the onion and sweat until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and cook out for an additional 3–4 minutes
2
Peel and roughly dice the squash. Add to the pan and stir to coat in the onion, garlic and butter for 5 minutes. Add the stock, cook until the squash is soft and tender then add the cream. Bring to a simmer then remove from the heat
3
Strain the contents of a pan through a colander (reserving the liquid) and place the solids in a blender. Blitz until very smooth, adding some of the reserved stock until you're happy with the texture. Season to taste, pass through a fine strainer and set aside to cool
4
For the pumpkin seed paste, combine all of the ingredients together in a blender and blitz until smooth. Season to taste and set aside
  • 200g of pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 50g of pumpkin seed oil
  • 50g of extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
5
For the pickled butternut squash, bring the vinegar, water and sugar to the boil in a pan, then reduce the heat but keep hot. Use a peeler to take thin strips off the butternut squash and place into the hot pickling liquor. Remove from the heat and leave to cool
  • 50g of water
  • 50g of sugar
  • 200g of butternut squash
  • 100ml of ice wine vinegar, Simon uses Minus 8 vinegar
6
Reheat the velouté and use a stick blender to froth slightly. Pour into warm serving bowls, wrap a strip of pickled squash around your finger to form a ring and place into the soup. Finish with a swipe of the pumpkin seed paste, a drizzle of the oil, the toasted seeds and the micro herbs. Serve immediately
  • 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 1 handful of micro herbs
  • pumpkin seed oil
First published in 2015

Yorkshire’s epicureans have a lot to thank Simon Gueller for. Here’s a chef who creates tasteful dishes with local tastes; who produces refined, lovely-looking food in an elegant setting.

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