This post is sponsored by McEwan Foods.
Is it just me, or does the way we entertain change when the weather gets cooler?
In the summer, we can get away with having informal gatherings like barbeques or picnics. We can throw burgers on a grill, wrap sandwiches in wax paper, serve a batch of Sweet Citrus Tarts straight from our picnic cooler. But when there’s a chill in the air, suddenly none of those things seems appropriate. We move our parties indoors, and enjoy more formal events like Thanksgiving dinner.
Personally, I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen getting ready for a special dinner. I want my food to be impressive, but I don’t always want to spend hours making it. This is where dishes like this Spicy Butternut Mango Chutney Soup comes in. This dish tastes like you’ve been slaving at the stove all day, but it only takes a few minutes to prepare. My secret ingredient? McEwan’s Own Mango Chutney.
If you haven’t been to McEwan, the gourmet grocery in the Don Mills area, you are totally missing out. It’s a paradise for foodies, especially because they carry a selection of speciality and hard-to-find items. You can check out my blog post on McEwan here to see some of the products they carry.
McEwan also carries a line of products called McEwan’s Own, which are basically products that you could make at home if you had the time (and skill). These products are made with high quality ingredients, and can help you elevate your home cooking in no time.
When I went into McEwan a few weeks ago, I saw shelves and shelves of McEwan’s Own products that are just perfect for fall. I ended up going home with a bottle of Mango Chutney, and Cranberry Sauce. I’m reserving the sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas (what a time saver!), but I wanted to use the Mango Chutney right away.
Yesterday I decided to make some soup for lunch, but I wanted something more interesting than just a vegetable puree. I warmed up some butternut squash soup that I bought from McEwan, and decided to try adding the Mango Chutney to see what it would taste like. The results were very surprising! I had expected to taste spice, since the chutney has ginger and red chilli in it, but I could also taste the fruity notes of the mango. The chutney added brightness to what was a very basic soup.
I asked my mom to taste the soup too, just in case I was caught up in the moment and not tasting things right. She said it tasted like something you could get at an Indian restaurant. Win!
The soup was good, but it still needed a little something… something creamy! I stirred in a spoonful of crème fraîche and decided that I loved the way the creaminess balanced out the heat of the chutney. The only thing this blended soup was missing was some texture, so I topped it with roasted pumpkin seeds for crunch. And that’s it!
I made a delicious (and pretty!) soup in just a few minutes using high quality products that I bought from McEwan.
Spicy Butternut Mango Chutney Soup
Ingredients
- 1 L Butternut Squash Soup
- 2-3 tbsp McEwan's Own Mango Chutney
- 4 tbsp Crème Fraîche
- 4 tsp Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the soup to a large pot, and warm over medium-low heat.
- Stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons of the mango chutney, depending on how spicy you want your soup to be.
- Once the chutney is fully incorporated, and the soup is warmed through, it's ready to serve.
- Set out 4 soup bowls and fill each bowl with about 1 cup of soup.
- Stir in 1 tbsp of crème fraîche into each bowl, and top with 1 tsp of pumpkin seeds and some fresh black pepper.
- Serve warm.
Have you been to McEwan yet? If you have, I’d love to hear about your visit in the comments below! If you haven’t, here’s where you can find the store:
38 Karl Fraser Road
Toronto, Ontario
M3C 0H7
Phone: 416-444-6262
Disclosure:
This post is sponsored by McEwan Foods. All opinions are my own.
This soup reminds me of my first cookbook “How to Cheat at Cooking by Delia Smith”. She tells you to seek out the best high quality products, and by adding a twist with something different you can create a completely new dish. This is yummy!