Minted pea and watercress soup

Not yet rated

This beautiful pea and watercress soup recipe shows off the full potential for this flavourful salad leaf. The peas, complemented by a touch of mint, add a vibrant freshness to this light, summery vegetarian soup.

When I first moved to England, I was mystified by the presence of watercress on the shelves alongside more common salad greens like spinach, “baby leaves” and arugula (“rocket”, that is). It’s available all year round, though it’s at its best April through September.

Still, even when watercress is at its prime, I have a hard time dealing with it raw - it’s flavour is bitter, slightly peppery, which I often find overpowering when served in a salad or as a garnish. So I’ve been exploring watercress’s other uses, treating it more as an herb, and in the process have discovered some great ways to use this pungent green outside of the salad bowl.

The sweet peas and refreshing mint in this recipe balance the peppery watercress, and it’s super delicious garnished with croutons or a hard boiled egg.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Minted pea and watercress soup

Method

1
Coarsely chop the watercress, stalks and all, and place in a small saucepan with the stock. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse
2
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion. Cook on a low heat until softened but not coloured. Add the potato, stir, cover and cook until soft. Add the mint, peas and infused stock and watercress. Season and simmer for 2 minutes
3
Place the soup in a blender and purée, then return the soup to the saucepan (you can strain the soup through a sieve if you like, to get rid of any tough-to-blend stalky bits, but if you have a powerful blender like a Vitamix, it should be able to purée everything into a silky smooth soup)
4
Serve warm garnished with boiled eggs, toasted seeds, a swirl of sour cream, croutons, or whatever you like - meat eaters might enjoy a sprinkling of crispy bacon

Monica Shaw's mission is to enable people to feel awesome, through food, life, work and play.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.

You may also like

Load more