Recipe time…FP Club member, Claire, has very kindly donated another recipe for you to try.  This time is courgette soup and I’ve had the pleasure of trying it during the week were taking part in the BBC Radio Derby’s Ed to Head Challenge…which we won!  Claire grows her own veggies and the courgettes are from her own garden, along with many of the other ingredients.

Courgette Soup is a very simple recipe, which makes a pretty, creamy pale green soup:

• Slice and gently sauté an onion, a stick of celery, 2 cloves of garlic
• Slice and add 5, or more, courgettes of the 6” or so size
• When all are softened and starting to brown add a pint or so of chicken or vegetable stock
• Simmer for 20 minutes until the courgettes squash easily on the side of the pan
• Take off the heat and blitz up with a hand blender
• Add a handful or two of freshly grated parmesan and a glug of garlic olive oil
• Add plenty of salt and pepper to taste and blitz up again

We serve it with crispy pancetta on top and a drizzle of garlic olive oil and some parmesan shavings.

To speed this up even more use a few shallots which are quick to slice and cook, a stock cube instead of fresh stock and a big slice from a fresh green garlic head instead of cloves.  Here’s a link through to the recipe on Claire’s blog, Things We Make.  Here is a link through to the post where Claire shows you how to make the bread bowls.

Growing your own courgettes is pretty easy and this weekend is ideal to plant seeds.  Here’s a link to the BBC website where there is some useful information about growing courgettes.

Click here to go to fabulousplaces.co.uk.