I recently tried courgette soup whilst on a recent trip to theMiddle East; I was very pleasantly surprised by the flavours and the basal flavour of the courgette itself. I confess I haven’t always been a big courgette fan but on my return on home I’ve challenged myself with recreating the soup.
I’ve decided to stick with just celery rather than mixing shallots and celery to get the base of the soup, and none of my soups are quite there without a dash of English mustard powder. If you are dairy free then leave out the butter use olive oil instead. This soup is also gluten free but check the mustard powder, some mustard powders contain flour.
Courgettes are significantly under rated for an ingredients that contains high levels and vitamin C and beta carotene which makes a significant contribution to anti oxidants in the body. It is also good for weight loss since it is nutritionally rich yet has few calories per gram weight, and tastes good raw in a salads.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 large Courgettes – finely chopped
3 stalks of celery – sliced into quarters long ways and chopped finely
1 medium sized potato – cut into 1 cm cubes
2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped or creamed
25g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
2 tsp English mustard
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 tsp lime juice to garnish
Small bunch of chives to garnish
Cooking Instructions:
Melt the better in the large deep pan; add the garlic, bay leaves and celery and sauté on a gentle heat for 15 minutes.
Add the olive oil, mustard, black pepper and Courgettes. Sweat down the vegetables on a low heat and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add 500 ml water or as required to achieve the consistency you prefer. This may change as the soup develop, just add water as you need, but remember to add hot water.
Remove the bay leaves and using a hand blender to blitz down to an even consistency.
Adjust the seasoning to taste, Sprinkle with chives, add a dash of fresh lime juice and a little parmesan cheese and serve with fresh crusty bread. Enjoy!
Cooks Tips 1: If you’re using mature courgettes then skin may taste bitter, if so, simply remove the skin, you will also get a paler soup.
Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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