Refreshing Pea & Mint Soup

I made this soup after tasting a pea and mint soup in Ballymaloe Cookery School last week. Having never tasted pea and mint soup before, now I’m a total convert. I doubt it matches up to the one they make in Ballymaloe, but it turned out well tasty. It’s a really fresh tasting soup that reminds me of a sunny day. I made this as a prequel to my starter at a recent dinner party, and served it in old fashion china tea cups for a real razzle dazzle effect.  I’ve tried to cut the calories a little on a traditional pea and mint soup by using half fat dairy products, which I think didn’t compromised on the taste. The only thing I would say is don’t over cook the peas, or you’ll end up with a really dull green instead of a vibrant colour.

Ingredients

• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp butter
• 750g of frozen peas
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
• 20g of chopped mint
• 750 ml chicken stock/vegetable stock
• 100 ml of low fat milk
• Salt and pepper

• Half fat Crème fraiche to serve
• Chopped chives to serve

Method

1. On a low heat, sauté the onion in the butter, and cover with parchment paper for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the cover, add the garlic and potato and fry off slowly for another 3 minutes.
3. Add 500g of the frozen peas, half the mint and the 500 mls of the stock
4. Bring to a rolling boil and then simmer for 6 minutes.
5. Take off the heat and with a hand held blender, blend the soup to get a bright green thick soup.
6. Return to the heat, add the salt and pepper, and the remaining peas, stock and milk.
7. To serve, add to soup bowls, with a dollop of crème fraiche and a scattering of chives.