mint pea soup
Two weeks ago, I planted my own little aromatic herb garden just in front of my kitchen. I wish I could have bought every single aromatic herb sold at the gardening store, but knowing that my gardening skills are pretty much non-existent, I settled for just five to see if I could keep manage to keep them alive for more than a week. Two weeks later and my small plants of basil, coriander, parsley, mint and thyme have grown tremendously, with even more leaves that I would truly ever need in my cooking. I’ve used fresh parsley and coriander from my garden in my recipes, but hadn’t experimented much with mint besides including it in water pitchers with lemon slices for a refreshing summer drink. My mint was finally put to test last weekend when I whipped up a batch of green pea soup to keep me warm and full of vitamins while fighting the flu.
Call me lazy, but I’ve never cooked fresh green peas before. I know, I know, I’m a food blogger and I should be trying all of these things, but I always have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer ready to be thrown into stir-fries or to add to my meatballs. If you live in Switzerland, are not as lazy as I am and prefer the fresh version best, then you’ll be glad to know that green peas are finally back in season here in Switzerland (check out my upcoming seasonal produce guide for june for tips, recipes and more). Cooking with seasonal produce is not only healthier but is also more cost-friendly, and will get you experimenting will all sorts of fruits and vegetables that you’d otherwise maybe ignore.
Whether you cook with the fresh or frozen type, green peas are not meant to be just boiled as served as a side dish. They’re absolutely delicious when puréed in a soup with mint, parsley, onion and garlic. The parsley and mint bring a refreshing flavor to it all and complement the green peas magnificently well, so much so that I’m looking forward to having a batch of this soup throughout the summer; as long as my herbs don’t die on me, if not, I’ll just have to hit the supermarket!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 cups vegetable borth
- 5 cups frozen peas
- Handful of fresh mint
- Handful of fresh parsley
- 1 cup water
- Sel et poivre
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry the onion and garlic cloves until softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the frozen peas and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes until the peas are fork tender.
- Remove saucepan from heat and add mint and parsley. Blend the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender, gradually adding 1 cup water to liquify the soup. Serve warm.
How did your mint pea soup come out? Share photos of your recipe on Instagram by tagging #savormania