Spring is slowly creeping into summer and temperatures are thankfully starting to rise. Our little herb garden is already overgrown with fresh chives and mint and I’ve been trying to think of ways to start incorporating these herbs into recipes. Peas are a spring vegetables that pair perfectly with mint and I love this simple pea soup using just a handful of ingredients that can be served either warm or cold. Using vegetable broth makes it entirely vegan but if all you have on hand is chicken broth that will work fine as well. Using a hand blender in a soup like this is key and makes it truly a one pot dish. If all you have access to is a standard blender, allow soup to cool and then transfer to a regular blender until smooth. If you’re serving the soup cold make sure you leave enough time to transfer pot or bowl to the fridge and let chill. Try serving the soup with freshly made garlic croutons using a leftover baguette, recipe for soup and croutons below!
Pea Soup with Fresh Mint and Garlic Croutons
Soup is equally delicious served warm or cold!
Ingredients
- For Soup:
- 1 tbs olive oil, plus more for garnish
- 2-3 small shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 cups of frozen peas (equivalent of a 10 oz package)
- 3-4 cups of vegetable broth (chicken broth is fine too)
- 2 tbs fresh mint, chopped plus additional whole leaves for garnish
- 4 chives, clipped for garnish
- Generous amount salt and pepper for seasoning For Garlic Croutons:
- 1 baguette (preferably at least a day or two old)
- Generous amount of softened butter or olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Directions
- Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion or shallots to pan and saute for approx 5 mins until lightly browned. Add chopped garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 ins. Add peas and stir to combine seasoning with a generous amount of salt and pepper (at least 1 tsp of salt).
- Add broth and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low for approx 15 mins. For a thicker soup, add slightly less broth. Add chopped mint, stirring to combine and cook on low for a few more minutes.
- Let soup cool slightly. Using a hand blender, blend until soup is smooth. Taste soup and add more salt if needed.
- For garlic croutons. preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add slices of bread to a baking sheet, spreading each slice of bread with a generous amount of softened butter or olive oil. Top each slice with some chopped garlic, sprinkle with salt. Toast bread in oven for about 10-15 mins until golden brown, careful not to burn.
- When ready to serve soup, divide equally into bowls. Top each bowl with a garlic crouton, clipped chives, a mint leaf and chive blossom if desired. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Bedford Balabusta 