Soups & stews
Courgette and basil soup
This fresh summer soup is a lovely way of polishing off extra courgettes. It's a good light lunch with bread and salad, and is especially excellent if you serve it with a generous dollop of tomato chutney in the middle of the bowl.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 or 7 courgettes, diced
- a handful of basil leaves
- 600ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 50ml cream, double or single
- parsley, chopped (optional)
- 50g Parmesan, grated
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the garlic, courgettes and basil with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, until softened.
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Step 2
Add the stock, then simmer for another 10 minutes.
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Step 3
Blitz the mixture in blender or food processor, reserving some of the courgette if you want a bit of texture in the soup, then return to the pan, stirring in any chunks of courgette you have reserved.
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Step 4
Gently reheat, stirring in the cream, parsley and most of the Parmesan. Season. You may want to thin the soup with some milk or stock.
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Step 5
Serve with the reserved Parmesan sprinkled on top.
