Roast squash and sage soup, an October supper

Squash soup has a reputation for being watery and a bit dull, and that reputation is entirely earned by the version made by boiling everything together. Roast the squash first and it becomes a different dish: sweeter, nuttier, and thick enough to stand a spoon in without any cream at all.

October is the month to make it. The squash harvest is in, prices are at their lowest, and a good one will keep in a cool larder for weeks.

Serves 4, about an hour, most of it unattended

Ingredients

- 1 medium squash, around 1kg. Crown Prince or butternut both work well - 2 tablespoons oil or dripping - 1 onion, roughly chopped - 2 cloves garlic, left whole in their skins - 8 to 10 sage leaves - 900ml stock, chicken or vegetable - Salt and plenty of black pepper - A spoonful of cream or creme fraiche to finish, if you like

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C, 180C fan. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, and cut it into rough chunks. There is no need to peel it before roasting; the skin softens and the flesh scoops away easily afterwards, and on a butternut you can simply leave it in.

2. Toss the squash with the oil, a good pinch of salt, the onion and the unpeeled garlic cloves. Spread it in one layer on a large tray. Crowding it is the commonest mistake, because the pieces steam instead of browning. Use two trays if you need to.

3. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once, until the edges are properly caramelised. Those browned edges are the flavour of the whole soup, so do not pull it out early.

4. In the last five minutes, scatter over the sage leaves so they crisp.

5. Squeeze the garlic out of its skins. Tip everything into a pan with the stock, bring to a simmer, then blend until smooth. Add more stock if it is thicker than you want.

6. Taste and season hard. Squash needs more salt and pepper than you expect.

Notes

The seeds are worth keeping. Rinse, dry, toss with oil and salt and roast at the same temperature for ten minutes for something to scatter on top.

It freezes well, and it is better the next day.

Squash, onions and sage are all likely to be on your doorstep this month. The directory at /directory will show you who is growing them nearby.