Courgette Soup with Fried Peppers & Aubergine Croutons

Ingredients

• 400-500g courgettes
• 1 small white onion
• 200g potatoes
• 2-3 peppers
• 1 aubergine
• handful of basil

From the cupboard

• cooking oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Peel the aubergine and cut into cubes. Mix the cubes with salt and leave aside to drain.
2. Roughly chop the onion, courgettes and potatoes. Boil with salt and until the potatoes are cooked. Blitz the soup until smooth.
3. Fry the aubergine cubes/croutons in a pan with cooking oil until they turn crispy and golden brown. Don’t overcrowd the pan as this will result in the aubergine becoming mushy. Just before you remove the croutons from the pan sprinkle with cumin and stir for a few seconds. Place them on kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil.
4. Chop the peppers and stir-fry them in the same pan as the aubergine.
5. Add the peppers to the blitzed soup.
6. Sprinkle finely chopped basil and aubergine croutons.
7. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to serve.