Courgette soup

Photographer: Adam

During the working week Paul is a very skilled (and handy to know) technician in our Dunedin office.  Each week he commutes from the Deep South, where he spends his weekends cooking his way through culinary mags and tending to his vast vegetable garden.  When asked to share a recipe with the Our Kitchen team, he was only too happy to oblige, even supplying photos of his courgettes growing in his glass house.  Over to Paul:

“Often we are at a loss to find uses for the vast number of courgettes produced from a single plant. (We dare not plant more, in a glass house in the Deep South, otherwise visions of triffids come to mind).  Living on the 45th parallel on the weekends necessitates the need for more indoor activities & comfort food.  My friend Michelle bought this soup to a dinner party and it has become a firm favourite ever since.

Initially it is a great talking point as courgettes are not associated with soup.  However even the most timid taste buds are pleasantly surprised upon tasting. The added bonus (as with pumpkin soup) is, even small children who would never eat pumpkin let alone courgette, once coaxed past the initial revoltion to the colour & the thought of the vegetable, soon finish the bowl and try to remove the pattern with their tongue.  So for something different at a dinner party, or a great way to help get five plus a day into children and using up excess courgettes, I can highly recommend this soup.”

INGREDIENTS


50g butter
1 large onion, diced
700g peeled courgette
2½ cups chicken stock
Large handful of fresh basil if available, or 1 tsp dried basil
1 cup cream or milk
½ tsp ground nutmeg

METHOD


1. In a large saucepan, cook onion in butter until soft but not browned. Add stock, courgette and also dried basil if using.
2. Simmer until courgette is tender.
3. Transfer to a blender (or use a stick mixer), add fresh basil, cream (or milk) and nutmeg, and blend to create an even green appearance.
Serve hot, with a swirl of cream and fresh nutmeg grated on top.