Pea, leek and mint soup

 

Pea, leek and mint soup

I only started making soup about a year ago, yet now I don’t know how I lived without it. I have fresh, homemade soup for lunch most days of the week and not only is it super healthy, it is filling and very tasty. The one I make the most, which is in regular demand in my house is my pea, leek and mint soup. It requires a small amount of ingredients and minimal effort, so it is easy to make even if you’re short on time. I buy all of the fresh produce from my local weekly market, where the leeks especially are twice as big as the supermarket variety and cost a lot less. This is a fairly thick soup but if you like yours a bit thinner, just add more stock.

Ingredients

– 1 small white onion, diced

– 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped

– 1 large leek, finely chopped

– 1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced

– 300g frozen peas

– Small handful of fresh mint

– 800ml vegetable stock

– 50ml double cream (or to taste)

– Olive oil

– Salt and pepper (to taste)

You will need a blender for this recipe.

Method

1. Place the onion and garlic in a large saucepan with a good splash of olive oil. Fry on a low heat for a few minutes then add the leek.

2. Once the onion, garlic and leek have softened, add the potato and vegetable stock. The stock should easily cover the vegetables. Leave uncovered to simmer for between 7-10 minutes. The smaller the potato is diced, the quicker it will cook.

3. Once the potato has cooked, add the frozen peas, give it a good stir and cover for 3-5 minutes to allow the peas to cook.

4. Remove the lid and stir in the mint leaves. Using fresh mint is really what brings this soup together so try to use fresh rather than dried if you can. Take the saucepan off the heat and ladle the soup in to the blender. Depending on how big your blender is you may need to do this in two batches, but take care not to use most of the liquid in one and most of the vegetables in the other – try to make it even!

5. Blend until smooth then add the double cream and seasoning. Blend again until combined and serve with some good fresh bread. This recipe makes approximately 1.25 litres of soup.

These food articles will regularly have a variety of featured writers. If you’re interested in working with me and having your recipe featured on here, please get in touch: brionylatter@yahoo.co.uk

Recipe and photography by  Briony Latter