Spicy roasted butternut squash soup

Well here it is, my first recipe post.  I hope you like it, I certainly enjoyed making (and eating!) it!

Soup Ingredients

• Half a squash 
• 1 small onion, diced
• Ginger (About 1/2 inch, grated)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp of curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• Olive oil 
• 350ml vegetable stock
• Salt, black pepper, & agave nectar to taste

To Garnish

• Soya cream
• Sprig of fresh coriander
• Black pepper

Recipe

1. Scoop out the seeds from the squash then place in a hot oven flesh side-down in a dish drizzled with olive oil. 
   
2. Gently fry off the onions in some olive oil, once they start to go clear, add the ginger and garlic, followed by the spices.
   
3. Keep gently frying the onions, garlic, ginger, & spices so they go slightly caramel in colour.  The trick here is to do it slowly and to add a splash of water to deglaze the pan if things look like they're sticking. Once the mixture is softened enough, turn off the heat & leave to one side. 
   
4. After about 30 minutes check the squash to see if it's soft enough, if it is great take it out, if not, give it another 10-15 minutes!
5. Scoop out the flesh of the squash into your blender (you can scoop it into your pan if you only have a stick blender).
   
6. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, & spice mixture into the blender.
   
7. Add half the vegetable stock & blend.
8. Poor the blended mixture back into the pan and add a squeeze of agave and a sprinkle of salt.  
9. Give the soup a good stir then decide whether it needs additional spice, salt, vegetable stock, or if you'd like to add some of the soya cream you've got for the garnish.  There are no hard and fast rules, it depends on your personal taste, however I generally add more chilli powder and curry powder here and possibly a touch more agave.  
10. Garnish with a teaspoon of soya cream, a sprig of fresh coriander, and a sprinkle of black pepper then serve with homemade crusty bread (recipe to follow) and enjoy!