The Infallible Pea Soup

Of all soups, I believe the pea to be most mighty. It can be eaten in all seasons and even if all you have are frozen peas and some vegetable stock, there is potential for a decent soup (I said decent not a gastronomic opiate).

For me, pea soup always conjures up the first scene from Rescuers Down Under where a single absconded pea provides the restaurant with the special of pea soup. Rustle around your freezer and garden and you should be able to bring together the ingredients for this without hijacking food from restaurant floors.

As the months are heating up the cooling mint adds a refreshing hint to the peas, and you can even eat it chilled if you can't bare the thought of hot soup.

This recipe will serve about 4:

900 g/2 lbs frozen peas (if using fresh peas still in their pods, you'll need about double this)

5 spring onions/scallions

3 pints of half vegetable stock and half water, hot 

1 tsp caster sugar or to taste

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large handful of fresh mint

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

for the herb cheese:

350 g /12 oz marscapone cheese

1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley, chives and dill

• Melt the butter in a large, deep saucepan over a medium low heat, add the spring onions roughly chopped and cook until they start to tenderize
• Add the peas along with the mint finely chopped and let them cook for about five minutes. As they are frozen the water from the peas will help them cook
• Pour in the warm stock and add the sugar, salt and pepper to taste
• Let simmer for a few minutes then take off the heat and blend in batches
• For the cheese, simply stir the finely chopped herbs in the marscapone 
• To serve bring the soup to the boil and add a tablespoon of the herb cheese to each bowl, letting it slowly melt into the soup

Should you want to add some meat firstly cook some smoked lardons in the pot you want to make the soup. Once they are nice and brown remove from the pan and set aside. You should reduce the butter by half and add to the fat released from the bacon. Cook the soup as instructed, then before you reheat to serve add the lardons back into the soup. Serve with crusty bread and a peashoot salad in a lemony vinaigrette.