Winter wonders: Squash Soup with bacon

Ingredients:
2. onions
2. large carrots
4. garlic cloves
2. sticks of celery
2. springs of fresh rosemary
2. litres of chicken stock
2 kg Butternut Squash
1 cup of diced pancetta or bacon
Sourdough Bread for crostini
Cheddar cheese

Many thanks to Jamie Oliver for suggesting this comfort food wonder!
Peel and chop the onions, carrots, garlic and celery. Pick and chop the rosemary.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently sweat the veggies in.
Halve, de-seed and chop the squash (I hate this part). Then add the squash and stock in the pan, bring to boil and simmer for about 30mins.
When the squash is tender whiz the soup with a stick blender and season it to perfection.

Grill the pancetta until crisp and scatter over the soup.
Melt the cheddar on the crostini and serve alltogether.

lightly cured Gravad lax Salmon

Here's my take on the Swedish Gravad lax:
Ingredients could not be easier to source:
1. Salmon - Buy two chunky, thick fillets of salmon, skin on
2. Rock sea salt - 3 heaped tablespoons
3. Brown Sugar - 1 heaped tablespoon, don't be shy!
4. Dill
5. Orange and Lemon zest
6. About 25ml of vodka

Food safety first: As Salmon these days is often farmed, it could have parasites! These will die upon freezing the fish - Best freezing your fillets and defrosting it a day ahead of preparation!!

Curing time it is up to you. Some recommend 36 to 48 hours but I guess it depends by a couple of factors: Size and thickness of your salmon fillet and your own taste-buds. I personally prefer a lightly cured version of the gravlax.

Start by making the dry 'marinade', grating the zests, chopping the dill and mixing all the other ingredients into a bowl. Then pop the salmon fillets into the bowl turning them over until well coated. Wrap them with cling film tightly and place in the fridge for at least 5 hours.
After your preferred curing time, remove the cling film and wipe of the excess salt. I also rinse the fillets in water and pat them dry.
Slicing comes next -  Use a super sharp knife as the thinner the better..

OPTION 2:
Add beetroots in the dry marinade for a touch of color. Just pop 'em in the processor with the salt, sugar, vodka and dill.

Serve your Gravad lax with a sauce made by combining sour cream + horseradish.
A chopped Beetroot dressed with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil taste lovely with the salmon... Add a splash of green and some slices of orange for wow-effect. Enjoy.