Roasted Courgette Soup with peas & basil

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan) / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4.

Step 2

Trim the ends off the courgettes and slice them into chunks about 1cm thick.  Place on a baking tray / roasting tin.  Trim the ends off the leek and slice into rounds of a similar size. Place on the baking tray along with the garlic cloves (still in their skin), then drizzle everything in the olive or rapeseed oil, season with salt and black pepper, and toss everything together until fully coated in the oil.

Step 3

Roast the veg for 40-45 minutes, stirring/turning occasionally, until soft and golden brown (but not too charred).

Step 4

Meanwhile, make up the vegetable stock with boiling water in a heatproof jug, then tip in the frozen peas and set aside to let them thaw.

Step 5

When cool enough to handle, squeeze the flesh out of the roasted garlic cloves and discard the skins.

Step 6

Tip the roasted vegetables into the blender or food processor, along with the stock and peas, most of the dairy-free parmesan and basil (keep a little of both back for garnish), and the dairy-free cream.  Blitz to a smooth purée then taste and add salt and black pepper as required.

Step 7

To make the croutons, cut the ciabatta into cubes, toss in the olive oil and bake in the oven for 5 minutes until crispy.  Roughly chop the pine nuts and scatter over the croutons and cook for a further minute until starting to brown.

Step 8

Serve the soup with a sprinkle of basil and dairy-free parmesan, topped with the croutons and pine nuts, and with a swirl of dairy-free cream.