courgette & tomato soup

courgette & tomato soup

Making a soup is definitely not difficult, especially a veggie one. I’ve made variations on this recipe before, usually making it up as I go along – because how difficult can a soup made of courgettes and tomatoes be? But I decided this time, I wanted something a little bit different, as all of the veggies had come from our garden. Grown from seed. So, this time, I wanted a soup to remember. And, boy, did I find one! It’s still super easy to make, but it packs a punch in flavour terms, as it also includes spicy paprika and a generous sprinkling of chilli flakes. As autumn approaches, and as your garden may have a glut of zucchini and tomatoes, this is definitely a recipe I’d add to your warming and wholesome collection…

INGREDIENTS

  • Tomatoes – ideally ripe tomatoes on the vine for the best flavour. I used a mix of larger beef tomatoes and smaller cherry tomatoes from the garden.
  • Courgettes – for this recipe I used one courgette – the one above – and it was definitely sufficient
  • Olive Oil – a nice big splash, to start cooking the courgettes
  • Large White Onion – red would work as well, I think, but I wanted a bit more depth of flavour
  • Plain Flour – a large, heaped tablespoon was used to thicken the soup
  • Veggie Stock – two cubes were more than enough, in about a litre of water, which I topped up as & when necessary, as the soup was cooking
  • Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped – dried basil would also work, but fresh was delicious
  • Spicy Paprika and/or Chilli Flakes – depends on how much of a kick of you want your soup to have. We like spice, so used both.
  • Tomato puree – a generous squeeze, for extra colour and richness of flavour
  • Salt & Pepper – according to your taste

METHOD

It really is a chuck-it-all-in-the-pot and let it do itself recipe. I heated the chopped onion and courgettes in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, sprinkling with plenty of salt and pepper. Once soft, I added the paprika and chilli flakes, then the chopped tomatoes and mixed in the plain flour, cooking for a further 10 minutes. The stock was added along with the basil leaves – leaving a few unchopped for garnish – and the tomato puree and simmered for about 40 minutes. The soup was whizzed up until smooth, given another 10 minutes on the hob, and then served with warm, crusty, granary bread. And, there ware more than enough for lunch next day…

Just need to now decide what to do with the beautiful courgette flowers, which are very abundant…

Recipe originally found here.

 

filo tart…

filo tart…

Winter is the season of comfort food. When the nights draw in very early and it’s dark and cold, we tend to cook comfort food. Hearty stews, thick soups, pasta dishes often loaded with a sauce, Sunday roasts. The kind of food that is often followed by a snooze on the sofa, under a furry blanket, in front of the wood burner. But, you can only eat this kind of food for so long, and as we have noticed spring bulbs beginning to emerge and days seeming to last a little longer before it gets dark, our evening meals are starting to change, too. Marinaded tuna, salmon, chicken fillets, lighter pasta dishes. And this weekend, a very spring-like filo tart, filled with punchy colours and flavours. It was the simplest and quickest tart to make, made up as we went along. The filo pastry was shop-bought – there is no way I’m standing in a kitchen making it, when it can just be unrolled from a packet. Sorry to pastry purists and serious cooks, but I’m not messing around with filo. And, within 10 minutes, everything had been chopped and prepared and it was in the oven.

The pastry was rolled out into rectangular baking tray and smothered in green pesto. Lightly roasted peppers and chopped cherry tomatoes were added, with back olives squished down into the veggie mix. Feta cheese was crumbled across the tart and chilli flakes sprinkled on top, then baked for about 25 minutes. It was served with a fresh spring salad and potato rosti. The pesto made a real difference as it during the cooking, it soaked into the base, giving it a creamy texture. A lovely, light and fresh dinner dish – which reminded us that spring is not too far off…