Tag: Courgette Soup

Courgette & Spinach Soup

  • This is a lovely Spring soup – although I used vegetables from Spain for my first try.
  • This soup has a delicate flavour.
  • I do not usually use garlic in my soups but this worked well.
  • The recipe is based on one from a Polish magazine that I bought in Poland recently.

INGEDIENTS

  • 2 – 3 medium sized courgettes – cut into slices
  • A bag of baby spinach – (or 3 balls of  frozen spinach – not tried)
  • 2 cloves of garlic – sliced
  • 1 small onion – cut into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock – can be from cube or powder – hot
  • *
  • 120ml of soured cream
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
  • Chopped dill to garnish when serving
  • *
  • Serve with rye bread and cream cheese

METHOD

  • Gently melt the butter in a large saucepan.
  • Stir in the garlic and onion and cook gently for a few minutes.
  • Add the courgettes and spinach and stir gently.
  • Add the hot stock and stir well.
  • Simmer gently for around 20 minutes until the courgettes are soft.
  • Remove from the heat and blend with an electric stick blender.
  • Make sure all the vegetables are well blended.
  • Add the grated nutmeg and season to taste.
  • Bring the soup back to just below boiling point and take off from the heat.
  • Stir the soured cream well in.
  • Serve each portion with chopped dill on the top.
  • *
  • I served this with rye bread & cream cheese.

All my testers said this was delicious.

 

Royal Stafford Blossom Time soup plate

Courgette Soup – 2

  • This is a more hefty soup than my other courgette soup recipe.
  • The addition of honey and pears adds a  lovely sweetness.
  • But the lemon stops it being too sickly.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 courgettes
  • 2 medium potatoes
  • 2 pears
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon of honey
  • 1 lemon rind & juice
  • *
  • Optional to serve
  • Chopped chives or flat leafed parsley.
  • Cooked Pasta

METHOD

  • Chop the courgettes into small pieces.
  • Peel the potatoes and chop into small pieces.
  • Peel and core the pears then chop into small pieces.
  • Bring the stock to the boil and add the courgettes and potatoes.
  • Simmer for around 10 minutes.
  • Add the pears and simmer for another 10 minutes.
  • Take the pan off the heat and liquidise the soup with  a stick blender.
  • *
  • Bring back to simmer.
  • Add the honey, lemon rind & juice, stir and serve.
  • *
  • Add chopped chives or flat leafed parsley if you have some.
  • *
  • You can also serve this with cooked chunky pasta.

Royal Stafford Blossom Time rimmed soup plate & Royal Doulton Carnation soup bowl

Courgette Soups

  • I was interested in why British English and American English have different names for a mini marrow.
  • In Italian zucca is the name given to a squash and zucchini is the diminutive.
  • In French courge is the name given to a squash and courgette is the diminutive.
  • So the two words mean the same thing and one can speculate why one is used in Britain and the other in America.
  • In Poland the word used is cukini – so comes from Italian – as do many vegetable names in Polish.
  • Here are two simple but delicious soups, they start off the same and it is in the finishing that they are different.
  • I think version 1 is more the style of soup served in Poland and version 2 more in England.

Ingredients – Version 1

  • 2-3 courgettes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 2-3 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 tablespoons of soured cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chopped chives or flat-leaved parsley to serve

Method – Version 1

  • Chop the onion into small pieces.
  • Melt the butter and gently fry the onion in it till golden.
  • Chop the courgette into small pieces and add to the onion.
  • Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
  • Simmer gently until the courgettes are soft.
  • Stir in the soured cream.
  • Season to taste.
  • Add chopped herbs when serving.

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Meakin Midwinter – Spanish Garden – Soup Dish from the 1960s.

Ingredients – Version 2 – Cream of Courgette 

  • 2-3 courgettes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 2-3 tablespoons of butter
  • 125ml of soured cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chopped chives or flat-leaved parsley to serve

Method – Version 2

  • Chop the onion into small pieces.
  • Melt the butter and gently fry the onion in it till golden.
  • Chop the courgette into small pieces and add to the onion.
  • Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
  • Simmer gently until the courgettes are soft.
  • Remove the pan from the heat.
  • Purée the soup – a stick blender is good for this.
  • Bring back to the boil.
  • Stir in the soured cream.
  • Season to taste.
  • Add chopped herbs when serving.
Royal Doulton – Carnation 1982 – 1998