Campbell's Tomato Courgette Medley from the 80s

I really like old cookbooks and the boy likes ones associated with grocery brands. He found a book by Campbell’s soup from the late eighties. We both love soup and so always have some in the larder. 

There are a lot of things in the book that I would never want to try and are destined to remain in the 80s – i.e. a potato salad made with a can of cream of celery soup. But we did fancy this one.

1 can Campbell’s condensed cream of tomato soup

3tbsp grated Parmesan

1tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp grated garlic

½ tsp dried basil

875g courgettes, sliced

1 medium onion thinly sliced

1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips

The original recipe suggested garlic granules but I’m not going that far. The dried basil is a concession. Normally we have Heinz tomato soup in the house but you need Campbell’s for this as it’s condensed and it is from their book after all.

This is hardly a recipe – Put everything in a large saucepan and toss gently so it is all coated. Simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes , without letting it boil, as this will spoil the soup. This should just cook the vegetables but leave them firm. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan.

The book also offers a Microwave version, which is “Cook on High for 15 minutes”. I suspect that is based on an 80s microwave and that it would need considerably less these days. (Do microwaves still have a High setting?)

It apparently serves 6-8. This must mean as a side dish – either that or we didn’t eat much back then.

Enjoy with Nik Kershaw or Howard Jones (depending on your allegiance), blasting out as loud as the neighbours will bear.