This spring pea soup has four ingredients and takes only ten minutes to prepare, perfect for a midweek meal. It’s also a green meal, but I don’t mean the colour, I mean it’s environmentally friendly!
The original recipe is by Donna Hay, an Australian food stylist and cook who is well known for her so simple it’s almost not cooking recipes. Check out the original version at Juls’ kitchen . Juls is hosting Hay Hay it’s Donna Day , along with Denise of chezus.com You’ll find links there for other variations on this perfect pea and mint soup.
Using this recipe, I wanted to illustrate how easy it is to convert a recipe to one that is a little more planet friendly. Steps towards a greener meal include
1. Use seasonal foods, or foods that have been preserved in season.
In a couple of months time,I would make this soup with fresh peas. Eating in season means it’s less likely that food will have travelled great distances between farm and plate. I can buy fresh peas now, but they come from Queensland, a very long way away. The peas in this soup came from the garden, shelled last year over a cup of tea and conversation. For those who don’t have access to a garden, bought frozen peas are great to have on hand and retain almost all the nutrients of fresh peas.
2. Reduce the amount of chemicals and preservatives in food.
This is a good move for your body as well as the planet. Many prepackaged soups have ingredients with numbers rather than names. They contain colours, preservatives and lots of salt. This soup, on the other hand, has four ingredients, all of which have names. It is easy, easy, easy and almost as fast to prepare as a packaged soup.
3. Reduce the amount of meat and dairy in the meal.
The original recipe called for half a cup of cream, plus sour cream to garnish. Cream is a luxury ingredient, we don’t need it every day, in everything we eat. While I’m sure it would taste great, it actually tastes great without it too. The clean taste of the peas and mint can shine through here, without being drowned by richness. The potato means the soup still has a velvety texture, even without the cream.
4. Reduce food waste
As an alternative to the sour cream in the original garnish, I’ve gone for croutons. Croutons add a tasty crunch and make it more of a meal. Even better, they are made from stale bread that would otherwise be thrown out,
Pea and Mint Soup
Serves 4
3 cups frozen peas
4 cups good quality chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablesp fresh mint, cut finely
1. In a saucepan, combine peas potato and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 5- 10 minutes or until potato is cooked.
2. Allow to cool, then transfer to a blender to puree.
3. Pass the soup through a sieve to remove any pea skins and return to the saucepan. Add the mint leaves and rewarm the soup.
4 Serve with croutons and a little extra mint.
Croutons
Allow about 1 slice of stale bread per person. Stale is better than fresh as it soaks up less oil resulting in a crisper crouton. Fry cubes of stale bread in olive oil over a med-high temperature, turning with tongs to ensure both sides are brown. Drain excess fat on paper and add to soup.