Courgette and Tomato Soup

This wholesome soup tends to get made when I have a glut of courgettes and tomatoes in the garden! I call it a 'winter' soup, so although I make this in the summer, it then gets frozen and brought out for lunch on a cold and rainy day. Given the length of the instructions, it looks very simple. And it is! This amount serves 4.

2 medium to large courgettes

12 medium size tomatoes

1 litre vegetable stock

1-2 tbsp olive oil

dried basil

Sea salt and pepper

Grated parmesan and/or fresh basil to serve

Preheat your oven to 200ºC.

Top and tail the courgettes and cut into chunks about 2cm thick. Halve the tomatoes across the stem and place cut side up on a roasting tray with the courgettes. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, pepper and a sprinkling of dried basil.

Put into the oven for 30-40 minutes until lightly roasted. Then tip everything into a medium-sized saucepan, add the hot vegetable stock and mix together. Allow to cool slightly before blending in the pan with a hand-held stick blender. Check seasoning and reheat if necessary. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and croûtons.

Pancetta and Bean Minestrone

A variation on the traditional minestrone soup but just as Italian and a meal in itself served with warm fresh bread. This recipe came from the wrapping on a packet of pasta, cut out and saved for posterity. Feel free to use small noodles or macaroni if you’re unable to get conchigliette. I also use a whole tin of cannellini beans, otherwise I’m left with half a tin which sits in the fridge for weeks!

130g cubed pancetta or lardons

2 medium sized onions, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

1 green pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

2 courgettes, chopped small

2 tbsp tomato puree

1.2 litres chicken stock

75g conchigliette or similar soup pasta

1 tin cannellini beans, drained

1 tbsp each of fresh thyme and marjoram (less if using dried)

4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

freshly grated parmesan to serve

Firstly, chop all the vegetables as above. Then heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the pancetta, onions, peppers and garlic. Cook over a low heat until soft. Add the courgettes, stock and tomato puree, lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Then add the drained beans and pasta and cook for a further ten minutes. Add fresh herbs and give it all a good stir before serving sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan and/or croûtons.

NB. Serve as soon as possible after making, or the pasta will continue to cook and become gelatinous. If you want to freeze this soup, omit the pasta and add it when reheating.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

This tasty and healthy soup is one that I usually make in early January to use up that slab of Stilton cheese left over from Christmas.

500g broccoli

150g Stilton

1 small onion

50g butter + a splash of olive oil

1 litre vegetable stock

Double cream to serve

Take the stalk off the broccoli, separate the florets and cut the stalk into small pieces. Finely chop the onion.

Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Put the lid on and leave on a low heat for 5 minutes. Then add the stock and the chopped pieces of stalk and put the lid on for a further five minutes. Finally, add the broccoli florets and simmer for ten minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Crumble in a generous half of the stilton and purée with a hand-held stick blender or transfer into a food processor. Ladle into deep bowls, scatter over the remaining stilton and a splash of cream. Serve with homemade croûtons .