Catch the Tail End of Summer with A Versatile Courgette Soup
Summer is the time of young vegetables, refreshing herbs, and light food. A long awaited season after many months of jumping back and forth between winter and spring, sunny weather has been in full swing in Chicago for the past few months. It's early October and I am so grateful for the weather. Before it gets cold, all I want to do is to savor the last bit of warm weather.
Inspired by the recipe from SeriousEats, I just had the picture of a perfect dinner in mind when I saw these baby courgettes in the produce aisle. They were not “baby” in size, but so young and delicate that a grasp would be enough to leave a mark on the surface.
Here is a simplified version with variations and tips:
Courgette & Basil Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 Courgettes (Zucchini)
- 1 Leek
- Basil leaves
- A few cloves of garlic
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil
- Prep
- Rinse the basil leaves and air dry; chop the leaves right before adding them to the pan
- Julienne the leek — cut it into small slices
- Peel the garlic cloves and cut them into small chunks; or just mash them
- Dice the courgettes — I did this while sweating the leek; when I saw clear juice oozing from the cut, I wanted to preserve the freshness.
- Cook
- Heat the saucepan up a bit and pour enough olive oil to at least cover the base
- Add the leak when the pan is warmed up; frequently turn it around and season generously with salt to get the moisture out of the leek (add more oil or some liquid if the leek takes on color)
- Add mashed garlic and mix well with the softened leek slices
- Add courgettes and a handful of basil leaves when the smell of leek and garlic begins to take over your kitchen
- Mix well and add liquid (water or stock if you want the soup to be light. I added almond milk and very diluted millet porridge because they were at hand and I wanted a little bit starch in my soup)
- Simmer till all ingredients are soft and cooked
- Blend: Add some more fresh basil leaves and blend
- Season: Salt & pepper it the way you like
- Garnish and Serve with bread: usually a few drizzle of olive oil and more herbs would do, but this soup is very flexible so however you want; some ideas: lemon/lime zest and peels, thinly sliced red pepper, bacon crisp, more basil leaves… or even add potatoes, peeled and cubed, along with garlic if you prefer a thicker consistency.
As a random cook and firm believer in “use whatever is at hand,” I really love this recipe for its flexibility and seemingly unlimited variations.
This light soup is perfect for a summer evening, be it an entrée or a starter paired with bread, rosé or something sparkling. Toast to the season, bon appétit!
All images courtesy of the author
