The mix of flavours within this courgette and blacksticks blue soup is a great twist to a mundane, supermarket flavour soup. The mellow flavour of the courgette contrasts perfectly with the salty blue cheese to create an indulgent and impressive dinner party starter. The cheese allows the soup to be ever so creamy in texture making it a perfect, warming and soothing dish on a chilly day. Try this courgette recipe with some warm, crusty rolls to add a complimentary crunchy texture to a beautifully smooth soup.
Ingredients
- 25g butter
- 1tbsp oil
- 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
- 150g pancetta cubes or smoked lardons
- 250g new potatoes, skin on and chopped
- 1kg courgettes, chopped
- 1 litre chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 225g Blacksticks Blue (or Shropshire Blue) cheese, chopped
- 4tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Method
Melt the butter with the oil and cook the onions gently until soft, for around 15 minutes. Add half the pancetta and cook for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, courgettes and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Fry the remaining pancetta until crispy and drain on kitchen paper.
Add 150g of the cheese then whizz the soup with a stick blender. Leave it quite chunky – you don’t want a purée. Stir in the parsley then serve with the crispy pancetta and remaining cheese crumbled on top.
Top Tip
This is a really filling soup best served fresh but can be frozen
