It was early days.
“Do you want to come over and watch a movie?” I asked nervously.
“Sure, I’ll take care of dinner” was his casual reply.
::
I opened the door to the tall, dark, handsome boy who had once doubled me home from the pub on his handle bars. I smiled at the memory of an attempted drunken kiss, botched when our bike helmets clashed before our lips met.
I was expecting to see a couple of bags of take out, but the only thing he had ‘taken out’ was his entire kitchen, which he plonked down on the table in a big box.
I peeked in, hoping to glimpse a massamam curry or some crispy spring rolls. Instead all I found was vegetables, really sharp knives, and an assortment of herbs and spices.
His plans included a three course meal and apparently I was to make the dessert as he finished the zucchini soup and vegetarian lasagna (kindly made to accommodate my house mate).
He talked me through making an apple tart tatin with rosemary and lavender (I know right?). It was beautiful and I’ll share it with you after experimenting with an IQS friendly version.
However, the star of the show was his zucchini soup. It stole my heart and he then stole his first (sober!) kiss on the sofa. The way to a woman’s heart . . .
CrashHubby’s Zucchini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 3 zucchini, sliced
- Oil to saute
- 1 T cumin (powder or seeds)
- 800ml of vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
To garnish:
- Plain unsweetened yoghurt
- Branston pickle or your favourite chutney
- Sesame seeds or black onion seeds or fried shallots
Instructions
If you’re making it in a pot on the stove:
- Saute the onions and zucchini until caramelised
- Add cumin (if using seeds, toast them first and grind them)
- Add vegetable stock, bring to boil then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Allow to cool slightly and then carefully blend with stab mixer or in a blender
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Garnish with a dollop of yoghurt and top with your choice of chutney and savoury sprinkles
Or
. . . you can do what we did tonight and throw it all into the Tefal Soup and Co.
This isn’t a sponsored post, but I was given a Tefal Soup and Co recently to crash test. It fits right in helping me ‘Get Sorted’ in the Crash Test Kitchen, making life easier and saving time.
At $299.95 it is also a LOT cheaper than a Thermomix and makes some of the same things (ie sorbets and dips), whilst also being made in France (yes, I know all the Thermomix junkies will be protesting and yes, I agree – it’s not a total replacement).
You still cut your onion and zucchini, but you just throw it straight into the Soup and Co with the cumin and then add the stock. Then a press of a button and the Soup and Co does the rest, including blending it to a smooth or chunky finish – your choice. It takes just 25 minutes.
The best bit – it tasted just as good! I was surprised because I thought it would lack the flavour from the caramelisation, but I’m sticking with this version, it’s super easy!
I’ve only used it twice and both times it has been super easy. Making soup will no longer be something relegated to the weekends. I’m going to try a few other things out and will be writing up a full review on the Crash Test Mummies community review site soon.
Also, I’ll be giving away a Tefal Soup and Co at the end of the month in my big Blog Birthday Bonanza! Make sure you don’t miss out on this huge multi product giveaway celebrating my first year in blogging . . .
or follow me on Facebook or RSS
In the meantime, please tell me your favourite soup!
Laney x
Well it certainly is soup weather. And I have all the ingredients. Guess what is for dinner tonight, and afterward I might steal a kiss from my husband – he will be surprised!
jan’s last post..Fantastic Friday – Ceriana, Liguria, Italy
Good luck with that kiss ;)
Awwwww love.
I have a fave soup – tomato and red lentil. Found it in a Sunday newspaper magazine. Tried it and haven’t looked back. I love how easy it is and how delish. Will have to give your zuc soup a whirl. And I WANT your soup maker :)
Alli @ Ducks on the dam’s last post..Holiday mode
Mmmm that sounds good. I’ve made a spicy tomato and lentil soup before but no longer have the recipe. It was so good. Lentils are awesome for filling you up. Come back later this month for my big giveaway – plenty of chances to win :)
I love pumpkin soup and could easily see me using the Tefal soup and co nearly every night! We eat a lot of soups in this cooler weather :)
Love the sound of your zucchini soup recipe that crash test hubby made. A three course dinner sounds so nice. And sure is a way to a womens heart!
Lisa Wood’s last post..There Is So Much To Be Grateful For
I love pumpkin soup too Lisa – possibly my favourite! I’ve got a bunch of roasted pumpkin left over from last night’s roast that will probably get the Soup and Co treatment. I think I might be a little bit in love with it!
You had me at “caramelised”
yum!
Jasmin’s last post..When you’ve not been overseas in a long, long time
what a saucy story! I love it!!!
Yvette @ DTlilsquirts’s last post..Husband and Wife Segment #2
Thanks, I enjoyed reminiscing ;)
I love all soups! And I made pumpkin soup in the Thermomix today!! If you like soup look up a recipe for Jerusalem artichoke soup – divine…
Kate @ Our Little Sins’s last post..day 54 | 100 Pantone postcards project
Yep, have had Jerusalem artichoke soup before. We have them growing up at the farm. Not bad!
Sounds yum! I love making soups in winter – at one point we had about 5 different varieties in the freezer from all my soup making! Haven’t made a zucchini one yet though, so will have to give this a go.
Soups are brilliant for their ease to freeze and thaw as you need to. Enjoy Hubby’s recipe!
Ahh what a nice story. Recipe looks good too :-)
Catherine Rodie Blagg’s last post..Love (another birth story) part 2
Clipped into my ‘Recipes To Try’ file on Evernote!! Looks good and I love a bit of romance with a recipe. For us it was chickpeas and pasta… sigh…
Seana Smith’s last post..Manly Cinemas Baby Pictures
Aw, foodie love! I need to start clipping recipes to Evernote too. Almost everything else is in it!
I love my Tefal soup and co – I must try this soup !
Trish’s last post..The Good, the bad , the ugly
They are so good. Looking forward to making sorbet in it :). I hope you enjoy the soup.
Naw that is so sweet! I would have married that guy. What effort for a nice sober kiss. I’m not a big soup person but I can almost smell that one. Yum!
He’s great and such an awesome cook! The zucchini soup is great for getting greens into the kids ;)
I was surprised to hear you didn’t miss the caramelisation of the onions for flavour. Has that been true for other soup varieties as well? Also have you tried to make any sauces in soup & co? I am almost convinced to go out and get one!
For a 25 minute soup it was pretty close for flavours. Maybe the only discernible difference might be a more rounded flavour with the handmade version. I was thinking about sauces today. There is a tomato sauce ie ketchup recipe in the recipe book. You can make dips too. Oh, and it can crush ice so sorbets and cocktails are on the menu too!
Do you think you could make a hollandaise sauce in it?
I’m not sure about that Ingrid. I don’t know that you’d be able to control the temperature. It makes yummy things like hot chocolate though ;)
I bought one! I made a smoothie in the first 5 minutes and that was fabulous and it is so easy to clean!
Soup for dinner tonight :)
That’s awesome! So exciting. I haven’t made a smoothie yet – have just been making soups. Have a lovely dinner!
Oh, this looks yummy, It’s such soup weather at the moment! Love the story to go with it too. x
Kelly’s last post..Candy Cane Chocolate Hearts
Thanks Kelly. I’m freezing right now and seriously thinking about whacking some roasted pumpkin into the Soup and Co!