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Velouté de courgettes
Smooth courgette soup
Velouté de courgettes: smooth French courgette soup with soft cheese
French families make velouté de courgettes on summer and early-autumn evenings, when courgettes are cheap and plentiful, often blending in a few wedges of soft triangle cheese or a spoon of cream so children drink it happily. It is pale green, silky and mild, and ready in under half an hour; serve it with crusty bread and a piece of cheese. Some soft cheeses are made with animal rennet, so check the label or use a vegetarian cream cheese. The most common mistake is boiling the courgettes too long, which turns the soup a dull khaki; simmer only until just tender. Chef's tip: leave some of the green skin on but peel in stripes, so the colour stays bright without any bitterness.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 ¾ lb courgettesabout 4, peeled in stripes and cut into chunks
- 1 potatosmall floury one, about 120 g, peeled and diced
- 3 cups vegetable stockgluten-free if needed
- 2 ⅞ oz soft cream cheeseor 4 tbsp crème fraîche; choose a vegetarian one
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Melt 1 tbsp butter or olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add 1 onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent but not browned, about 4 minutes.
4 minStep 2: Add 1 ¾ lb courgettes and 1 potato and stir for 1 minute to coat in the butter.
1 minStep 3: Pour in 3 cups vegetable stock, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer until the potato breaks easily against the side of the pan and the courgettes are just tender, about 12 minutes.
12 minStep 4: Take off the heat, add 2 ⅞ oz soft cream cheese and blend with a stick blender until completely smooth and velvety. Add a splash of hot water if it is thicker than you like.
Step 5: Season with ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper and 1 pinch ground nutmeg if using, then serve hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does velouté de courgettes take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 8 minutes to prepare and 17 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter or olive oil?
- Vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil, same amount (for cooking; keep olive oil for dressings if you have a little).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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