Green bean and courgette soup

The weather has gone mad. Normally at this time of the year, it’s beach weather. Long, hot weekends spent on the shore. Light meals, cold drinks.

Just a week ago it looked like the summer was finally starting to kick in after one of the wettest winters in living memory. But no, it wasn’t to be. For the past couple of days, instead of blue skies we’ve had grey clouds and intermittent downpours. I got soaked the other day. And while it’s not cold, it’s not particularly warm either.

So the other night I decided to change my menu. I was going to make a salad-type thing with green beans and courgettes. Instead, I made a hearty soup.

Here goes.

Green bean and courgette soup

Green beans, about 500g topped and tailed

Six courgettes

Six cloves of garlic

Fresh basil, a small bunch

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Nutmeg, half teaspoon

Paprika

Pour a generous slug of extra virgin olive oil into a large pot. Cut the courgettes into large chunks and fry lightly. Add the peeled garlic whole and continue to fry. You want everything to start going slightly golden.

Add the green beans, roughly chopped, and pour in enough cold water to almost cover the vegetables. Season to taste and add the nutmeg. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a low heat, cover the pot and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. In the last five minutes, add the basil.

Set the pot to one side and use a handheld blender to puree the soup. It should have a thick consistency.

Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and coarse black pepper.

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