Jono & Jules do food & wine

Pumpkins are everywhere and the evenings have got dark and chilly. This delicious soup by Melissa Hemsley looks like sunshine and tastes warm and comforting. Don’t omit the topping as it really brings the soup to life.

Ginger miso sunshine soup – serves 6

• 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 5cm piece of ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 4 large carrots, chopped into 1.5cm cubes
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into 2cm cubes
• 1.5 litres stock or bone broth or water – we used Marigold Bouillon powder
• 2 tbsp miso
• juice of 1 lemon

CHIVE TOPPING

• 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 4 tbsp chives, chopped
• 4 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Melt the oil in a large, wide saucepan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat for 4 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and turmeric and cook for another minute.

Add the carrots & squash, followed by the stock. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and cook for 15-18 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl. Add the miso and lemon juice to another bowl and add a few tablespoons of the hot liquid from the soup and stir or whisk until you have a smooth paste.

Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the miso paste. Blend the soup until smooth and season to taste. Serve with the chive topping.

(Original recipe from Eat Happy by Melissa Hemsley, Ebury Press, 2018.)