Courgette and Potato Soup

Courgette glut? You’re not alone! Aida suggested she had a few courgettes going spare and asked if anyone wanted some. Never one to turn down free veg, I obviously said yes. I didn’t really expect two bags of the largest courgettes I had ever seen – all organic and grown on her own allotment. Thank you Aida!

I will be doing quite a few dishes with them but thought it best to start by sharing this basic Courgette and Potato Soup recipe with you as it is easy to adapt, freezes well and can also be made later in the year using any courgette chunks stored in your freezer.

I’ve added some suggested adaptations after the main recipe, but as always – swap out the bits you don’t like and add what you do instead.

Courgette and Potato Soup

Serves 6

Difficulty rating Very easy

Suitable for Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free diets

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
• 500g potatoes, diced
• 1 Kg courgette, diced
• 900 ml vegetable stock
• 1.5 tbsp corriander seeds*
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds*
• Salt and pepper to taste

*I just happened to use corriander and cumin seeds on this occasion. See my notes below for other variations.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and garlic. Reduce to a low heat and cook until the onion is soft and clear.
2. Add the coriander and cumin seeds, stir and fry for one minute.
3. Add the potato and courgette, stir well then add the stock. I always add enough stock to ensure the veg is covered by centimetre or two. If you need to use more, or less, stock than the 900ml I suggested that’s fine.
4. Bring to the boil then simmer until the potatoes and courgette are soft. That will be around 10 minutes depending on the size of the chunks and type of potato used.
5. Remove from the heat and blend. (I reserved a ladleful of veg to mix through the blended soup to add some texture. I also dry fried about a heaped teaspoon of the reserved veg to use as a crispier topping).
6. Delicious served with a hearty cheese sandwich or oatcakes.

Variations

• Why not add Italian seasoning instead of coriander and cumin seeds? Basil works well too.
• Use nutritional yeast to add a cheesy, savoury flavour.
• Add some carrot, either as an extra or to replace the potato. If you’re replacing the potato, the texture will be a bit thinner so you may want to add less stock to begin with.
• Leek is a tasty addition too. Cook it at the same time as the onions and garlic.
• Add a Grana Padano (or similar) rind with the stock. It avoids any cheese going to waste and adds a real depth of flavour. Just make sure your choice of cheese is suitable for those you’re cooking for e.g. a vegetarian variety, or vegan alternative etc.

I don’t think I’ve forgotten any of the variations I use. Do you have any adaptations of your own? Let me know if you have. I’d love to hear what they are.

Enjoy!

Val x