Even though the first day of autumn officially starts tomorrow, we still have a large crop of courgettes in the garden (the OH is disappointed they haven’t died off yet). So, I am back with yet another courgette (or zucchini) recipe this week. As the evenings are a little chillier, I decided to put them to good use in a hearty garlicky soup. For me, the best way to get flavor from a courgette is by roasting it in a hot oven with lots of garlic. This brings out all the courgettes natural sweetness and if you char it a little, it adds a little smokiness too (yum). This soup is very easy to make. The garlic and courgettes are simply roasted, pureed, and mixed with some home-made chicken stock and lots of fresh basil. I like to serve it with freshly grated Parmesan and some crusty bread. So, even though the summer is sadly over, I can still taste the sunshine from these sweet home-grown courgettes.
Ingredients
- 1 kg of courgettes, chopped into chunky discs
- 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 small head of garlic (8-10 cloves)
- 10g of fresh basil leaves
- 1 liter of chicken or vegetable stock
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 340 F / 170 C.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Place the chopped courgettes, chopped onion and the whole bulb of garlic on the lined baking sheet.
- Brush the vegetables with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the vegetables for 40 -45 minutes, until cooked and golden.
- Remove the skin from the garlic, and put the cooked garlic in a food processor along with the cooked vegetables.
- Add the basil, and blitz until smooth.
- Add the stock.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper
- Pour the soup into a large saucepan, and reheat over a medium heat.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and some fresh basil leaves.
