What I love about soup is that you can use up all sorts of excess vegetables and you can enjoy it hot or cold. The other day I realised we had far too many courgettes and I had chicken stock at hand. The day was very warm so I made chilled courgette and mint soup. The mint gives a fresh twist making the soup a perfect summer’s day lunch dish.
This soup is also delicious eaten hot, but we leave out the mind.
All vegetables were from our local market. I bought the chicken from which the stock was made at the Green Street Butcher in Bath.
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4):
- 4 small courgettes
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove
- about 7 fresh mint leaves
- approx 1/2 litre (1 pt ) good chicken stock
- 1 tsp basil pesto
- a drizzle of olive oil
- parmesan cheese to taste
- black pepper and sea salt for seasoning
METHOD:
- roughly chop the onion and garlic and slice the courgette
- heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, thick bottom pan on low heat and add the onion and garlic
- gently cook until the onions are translucent, then add the courgettes
- add the chicken stock, covering the vegetables. Simmer until the courgettes are soft and the liquid has reduced a little
TIP: if you are going to enjoy soup cold use extra stock as it will thicken up when chilled
- when the courgettes are soft, add the basil pesto, grate in the parmesan cheese and mix until evenly distributed. Season to taste with some freshly ground black pepper and a little sea salt
- transfer to a liquidiser and add the mint leaves. Liquidise until smooth
- allow to cool and then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours
- once chilled serve in a bowl garnished with a little freshly ground black pepper, grated parmesan and a sprig of fresh mint
