Butternut Squash and Chickpea Soup with Saffron and Pecorino

This nourishing soup is made with butternut squash, chickpea, coconut cream, Italian hard cheese, and plenty of fresh ginger and saffron. It’s robust, has a lovely silky texture and super tasty. Serve this as a starter for a dinner party or a filling supper with crusty buttered bread when you need a bit of comfort. This soup keeps well in the fridge and is easy to freeze.

1 Garlic clove, chopped
1 pc 3-inch Fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
50 g Butter, coconut oil or olive oil
0.2 g Saffron powder
600 g Butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
500 ml Homemade broth (vegetables, chicken or beef)
150 g Cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed well under running water
300 ml Coconut cream
Salt andfreshly cracked black pepper
A large pinch of nutmeg
50 g Pecorino, grated
Pumpkin seed oil for garnish
Chives for garnish
Pepitas for garnish

In a large heavy saucepan, sauté garlic and ginger in the butter over a low heat until aromatic. Add the saffron, pumpkin and half the broth, then cook over a low heat, with the lid on, until the pumpkin is almost cooked.
Add the cooked chickpeas, the remaining broth, coconut cream and plenty of cracked black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, with the lid on, and cook for about 15 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to process the soup until smooth. Season with salt, then add nutmeg to taste. Stir in the grated Percorino cheese and ladle into soup cups. Drizzle some pumpkin seed oil over and top with a few chives and pepitas.