Squash, Green Lentil & Serrano Ham Soup

For those of you who like thick, hearty soups, this is one for you. Sweet butternut squash mixed with the lavishness of the Serrano ham and the earthy bite of green lentils is a delicious mix for a home made hearty soup.

I made this with some cheese and onion rolls, hot out of the oven and it was heaven. For the rolls, just make a basic bread dough, take a piece the size of your palm and flatten it into a round. Put in a chunk of cheddar cheese and some chopped onion in the centre and cover with the dough. Roll into a ball and complete the remaining rolls. Leave to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Eat hot with the soup. A delicious lunch for after a walk in the woods!

Ingredients:   (Serves 4)

1 large onion, sliced
350g butternut squash, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
25g butter
1 tbsp. oil
120g Serrano ham
200g green lentils
700ml chicken stock
100ml double cream
a little fresh parsley, to garnish

Method:

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and add the onion, garlic and squash. Sauté for 10 minutes on a medium heat until softened. Chop all but 1 slice of the ham and add the chopped pieces to the vegetables. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the hot stock and lentils and season with salt & pepper. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for about 35-40 minutes. Take off the heat, use a stick blender to blend the soup and then put back on the heat, adding the cream. If its too thick at this stage, add some water and heat through to get the consistency you like.

For the garnish, cut the last slice of Serrano into four and fry in a small pan. Serve the soup in a bowl, top with the parsley and pieces of ham. Delicious!