Peas and potato blend into a smooth soup, with a little dried mint for a fresh-tasting aroma and a small swirl of cream. Made with frozen peas, it works as a light lunch with bread or a small first course before dinner.
Times are estimates and include preparation and the waits listed. Check hydration, tenderness and doneness as described.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Briefly rinse 2 g dried mint and enclose loosely in a fine-mesh food-grade spice bag, tying it securely. This product contains dried leaves and some stems; do not replace it gram for gram with fresh mint. Dice the potato into roughly 1 cm cubes and chop the spring onions and garlic. Keep the peas frozen until ready to cook.
Melt the butter over a low heat. Cook the spring onions for about 4–5 minutes until soft without browning, then add garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the potato and 800 ml stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 12–15 minutes, until the potato crushes easily. Add the mint bag for the final 5 minutes of this stage, maintaining a gentle boil for at least 5 minutes. Remove it rather than blending tough stems and the whole bag into the soup.
Add 450 g frozen peas and return to the boil. Cook thoroughly following the brand’s instructions, often about 5–8 minutes but use the actual label. Thawing or warming in hot water alone is not sufficient. The peas must be hot throughout and tender, with no hard potato centre. Continue cooking if needed rather than shortening the time solely to keep a brighter green.
Remove from the heat and let vigorous bubbling stop. Follow your hand blender’s instructions: submerge the blade fully before switching on, blend on low until smooth and stop before lifting it out to avoid hot splashes. Do not pour boiling soup into an unsuitable sealed blender jug. Stir in about 40 ml cream and adjust with a little boiling water if needed. Warm gently, remove from the heat, then stir in up to 10 ml lemon juice a little at a time to taste. Season with salt and black pepper; avoid prolonged boiling after adding the lemon.
Divide into four starter portions and swirl the remaining roughly 10 ml cream over the bowls. The soup should be smooth and pourable rather than stiff like mashed potato. Bread may be served separately but is not included in this ingredient or allergen list.
Contains milk. Vegetable stock may contain celery, wheat or other allergens; check the purchased label. The Xianyitang dried-ingredient packs state that they are packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check the actual labels of every brand used.
Cool promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking and eat within 48 hours or freeze. Reheat only once until hot throughout, stirring to avoid cold spots. Cream soup may separate after freezing; stir after heating through. Aim to use frozen portions within 1 month for quality; this is not a tested shelf-life claim.
