No cook pea and mint soup

Special equipment • blender

SERVES 4

Ingredients:

2 cups (10oz/250g) frozen peas

2 cups (450ml) hot vegetable stock

handful of fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme

1–2 tbsp crème fraîche (optional)

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1 Cover the peas with hot water and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain.

2 Working in batches if needed, process the peas, stock, mint, and thyme in a blender until smooth. Add more stock if the soup is too thick. Season well with salt and

pepper, and process again.

3 To serve, stir in the crème fraîche, and top with a pinch of nutmeg. Serve hot or cold, with crusty bread.

Variations:

Use frozen fava beans or lima beans instead of the peas, or use a combination of peas and beans.

No cook pea and mint soup