Recipes

Chilled Pea and Mint Soup

The Summer cooking manifesto – shop at the farmers’ markets; keep food clean, simple and chilled; and savor every mouthful.

With three weeks left in the Summer-house, I was making the most of what the Long Island farm-stands had to offer. This week, it was fresh peas, heirloom tomatoes and juicy peaches. On the menu – chilled pea and mint soup; heirloom tomato salad; tuna tartare and peaches dressed in champagne.

The chilled pea and mint soup was a winner. With only six ingredients, it is perfect for a beach picnic, simple lunch or pre-dinner appetizer.

The key is to serve it really cold.

Photo Credit: www.gourmettraveller.com.au

Ingredients

  • 2 tbl olive oil
  • 3 golden shallots, finely chopped
  • 2.5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2.5 cups of peas (preferably fresh)
  • ½ cup mint leaves, plus extra to serve
  • 2 tbl lemon juice
  • crème fraîche (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add shallots and cook for 5 minutes.  Add stock, bring to boil, remove from heat, add peas and stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Process pea mixture in a blender with mint until smooth, add lemon juice, season to taste with sea salt and refrigerate for 3 hours or until chilled. 
  3. Serve with a drizzle with olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, torn mint leaves and a swirl of crème fraîche (optional).