Zimbabwe-Inspired Butternut Peanut Soup with Halloween Bats

♨ Preparation

1. Prepare the Vegetables
   Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into small cubes.
   Finely chop the onion and garlic.
   Peel and grate the fresh ginger.
   Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional heat and line a small baking tray with baking paper.
2. Build the Aromatic Base
   Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
   Add the chopped onion and sauté for approximately 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
   Stir in the garlic, ginger, ground cumin, ground coriander and cayenne pepper.
   Cook for another minute, stirring continuously, until fragrant.
3. Add the Butternut and Tomatoes
   Add the diced butternut squash and chopped tomatoes, including their juices.
   Pour in the vegetable stock and stir thoroughly.
   Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat.
   Cover and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the butternut squash is completely tender.
4. Reserve the Pumpkin for the Bats
   Before blending the soup, remove one generous ladleful of cooked butternut squash.
   Drain thoroughly to remove as much cooking liquid as possible.
   Set aside for the Halloween decorations.
5. Add the Peanut Butter
   Remove the saucepan from the heat.
   In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter with a little hot soup liquid.
   Stir until smooth and creamy.
   Return the peanut butter mixture to the saucepan and stir well.
   This helps distribute the peanut butter evenly without forming lumps.
6. Blend the Soup
   Blend the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth and creamy.
   If the consistency is too thick, add a little more hot vegetable stock or water.
   Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
   Keep warm over low heat while preparing the Halloween decorations.
7. Make the Pumpkin Bats
   Mash the reserved cooked butternut squash thoroughly with a fork.
   Mix with the rolled oats and season lightly with salt and black pepper.
   Allow the mixture to rest for approximately 5 minutes so the oats can absorb some of the moisture.
   If the mixture is still too soft to hold its shape, add a little more finely ground oats.
   Spread or press the mixture into a thin, even layer approximately 5–8 mm thick on baking paper.
   Use a bat-shaped cookie cutter to cut out two bats.
   Carefully remove the surrounding mixture, leaving the bats on the baking paper.
   Bake at 180°C conventional heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until the bats are firm and lightly browned.
   Depending on their thickness and moisture content, they may require a few additional minutes.
   Allow them to cool briefly before carefully lifting them from the baking paper.
8. Create the Oat Cream Spiderweb
   Pour the hot soup into two bowls.
   Stir the oat-based cooking cream until smooth.
   Transfer it to a small piping bag or a clean food-safe bag with a very small opening.
   Pipe several concentric circles onto the smooth surface of each soup.
   Using a toothpick or wooden skewer, gently drag lines from the center outward through the circles to create a spiderweb pattern.
   For a more intricate design, alternate some strokes from the outside toward the center.
9. Finish the Halloween Bats
   Place two whole black peppercorns onto each pumpkin bat to create the eyes.
   The peppercorns are decorative and must be removed before eating.
10. – Serve
    Arrange the homemade pumpkin bats alongside the bowls of soup.
    Serve immediately while the soup is hot and the oat cream spiderweb remains intact.