Is it just us, or has winter finally hit Perth? In times like these, the only thing to do is make a nice, hearty pot of soup. After much convincing, our nanna allowed us to let you in on her family recipe for Pumpkin Soup. The secret ingredients is cashew - which magically make this soup so  ‘oh-my-goodness-I can’t-believe-there-is-no-actual-cream-in-this-recipe’ creamy.

Creamy Pumpkin and Cashew Soup

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

½  cup cashews, plus more for garnish

5-6 cups stock

5 dashes nutmeg

2-3 dashes cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste  

1. Cut the butternut squash into pieces and roast in a hot oven for 30-45 minutes until tender.

2.  Scoop out the cooked squash and discard the skin.  Toss half the squash in the blender with 2 cups stock and the cashews, and puree until very smooth. Add the mixture to a saucepan.

3.  Puree the remaining half of the squash with another 2 cups of stock, and add that to the saucepan as well.

4. Season with nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, butter and salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Heat on medium-high until just beginning to bubble.

6. Serve, garnishing with chopped cashews if desired.