Yummy Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 large zucchini, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled, chopped
1L chicken stock
3/4 cup cream
salt and cracked black pepper

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 coarsely chopped onion, 1 crushed garlic clove, 4 large chopped zucchini and 2 large peeled, chopped potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, making sure vegetables don't brown.

2. Add 1L chicken stock and 1 cup water. Bring soup to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

3. Blend with a hand-held blender until smooth. Return soup to the heat and add 3/4 cup cream, salt and cracked black pepper. Warm through and serve.

What a great recipe I found on this blog. I would highly recommend this soup. Be sure to serve it with homemade croutons though.

Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS:

5 oz white pearl onions, peeled and halved

2 cups yellow corn kernels (canned & drained, frozen or fresh)

3 cups milk (whole milk preferred to avoid curdling)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste
.

DIRECTIONS:

Saute halved onions in olive oil until golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, heat corn kernels with a small amount of olive oil in a stock pot. Add onions and continue to cook. Add milk and bring to a simmer. Taste and salt and pepper as needed. Remove spoonfuls of the soup at a time to a blender to puree, then return to mixture. The goal is to puree enough soup (in batches) to get a creamy chowder-like consistency, but leave enough corn and onions whole for texture.

Light and Easy Meatball Soup

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:
3/4 lb lean ground beef

2 tbsp rice

1 egg

3 tbsp curly parsley

For the soup:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

7 cups of water

1/2 can chopped tomatoes

4 small chicken stock cubes

4 tbsp rice

Juice of 2 lemons

1. Place meat, rice, egg and parsley it in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together, kneading the mixture against the side of the bowl until you can feel the consistency become smooth and almost dough-like.

2. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Take a small amount of the meat mixture, about the size of a hazelnut, and roll it into a ball between your hands. Put it on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the mixture, then set aside. It is handy to have a bowl of warm water beside you; dip your hands in every few minutes to stop the meatballs sticking to your palms.

3. For the soup: in a tall pan, heat the olive oil over a low heat. Add the onion and carrot and fry gently, stirring frequently, for 8 minutes. Pour in the water, increase the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock cubes, and rice and simmer for another 15 minutes.

4. Gently add the meatballs to the soup, reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.