Bowl your guests over with this bright green vegetarian soup recipe. It makes a delicate verdant starter or light lunch.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tender, inner celery sticks, diced
- 1 garlic clove, diced
- 750ml vegetable or chicken stock, hot
- 170g frozen peas
- 150g British spinach
- 170g bunch of British watercress
- 150ml double cream
- ½ bunch of fresh chives, finely snipped
Method
- 1. Set a large saucepan over a low heat and, once hot, add the oil, then the onion, celery and garlic. Fry gently for 10 minutes or until soft and golden. Add the stock, bring to the boil and add the peas. Return to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- 2. Meanwhile, wash and roughly chop the spinach leaves. Wash the watercress, strip the leaves from the stems and roughly chop the leaves. Discard the stems. Add the spinach and watercress to the saucepan of peas and stock, then simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- 3. Purée the soup using a stick blender, stir in 100ml cream and season to taste.
- 4. Reheat to piping hot, divide between 4 bowls and swirl in the remaining cream. Add a few snipped chives and some ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 333kcals, 28.3g fat (13.9g saturated), 13.2g protein, 9.5g carbs, 4.6g sugar, 1.2g salt
Chef's tip
To freeze, cool the soup completely at the end of step 3, then freeze in a freezerproof container for up to 3 months. Defrost before reheating. Please note: the soup may lose some of its bright green colour if frozen.
Wine Recommendation
A crisp, dry white is best, and a Picpoul (France) or Grüner Veltliner (Austria) will pick up the peppery notes in the watercress, too.