Watercress-petit pois soup
By Mark Sanne
I love this brilliant green soup. It is so beautiful and delicious and can be whipped up in under an hour. When the weather is a bit chilly in early Spring I like to serve this soup hot but during the steamy hot days of summer it is so refreshing and best served chilled with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream as a garnish. If you want a vegan version of this soup, simply substitute a vegetable stock for the chicken stock and omit any dairy garnish. This soup freezes well and it should be defrosted in the refrigerator overnight. Try not to heat it for too long once it has been pureed as the brilliant green color will darken slightly and turn a bit more olive. Still delicious just not as bright a green. If you dislike mint, dill can be substituted instead. Enjoy and just wait for the complements!.
Watercress-petit pois soup with mint
serves approx. 12
4T /50g butter or olive oil if vegan
2 large leeks, green parts and roots trimmed and discarded.
1 large onion, peeled and diced
3 large stalks of celery, trimmed and diced
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 qts/2 liters of low sodium organic chicken stock (either homemade or store bought) plus additional if needed
1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped
2 bay leaves
2-3 large bunches of watercress, washed and tough stems removed and discarded
1lb 500g bag of frozen baby peas
salt and white pepper to taste
1/2C mint leaves if desired
creme fraiche or sour cream to garnish (optional)
chopped chives to garnish (optional)
Slice the white part of the leeks in half lengthwise and throughly rinse to remove any sand or dirt then dry them on some paper towels. Chop them coarsely and set aside.
Heat a large soup pot (at least16C/4 liters ) over a medium high flame and add the butter. When the butter is melted and foaming add the chopped leeks, onions, celery and garlic and stir. Add a bit of salt and cover and lower the heat. Cook for about 10 minutes stirring every few minutes to make sure the vegetables aren't browning. you just want them to become soft and transparent. If they start to brown, lower the heat even more.
Add the chopped potato and the chicken or vegetable stock and the bay leaves and raise the heat back to medium high until the soup begins to boil then lower to a simmer. Cook for approximately 10 minutes or so or until the potatoes are very tender.
Raise the heat back up to high and add the watercress and stir. Cook for a few minutes then add the frozen peas and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and carefully purée the soup in batches in a blender until very smooth and completely puréed.( see note below) Add the mint leaves or dill to the last batch before puréeing then combine all of the soup back into the pot and add salt and white pepper to taste. If you are serving this soup chilled you will need to add more seasoning that you normally would as the flavors are dulled by the cold.
Reheat the soup if serving hot or chill the soup for at least 6 hours if serving cold and taste again before serving to adjust any seasonings.
Pour the soup into bowls and garnish as desired.
*NOTE
Be very careful pureeing the hot soup in the blender as it can explode out of the top due to the expansion of the hot air. I always start with just about 1 cup of soup to the blender jar and holding the top on with a dish towel turn the blender onto low speed, then remove the top while it is running and add another few cups. Replace the lid and hold on with the towel and turn it onto high and keep it running until the soup is pureed to the desired state. Repeat these steps until all of the soup is pureed. This way there will be no pea soup to clean off of your kitchen ceiling or getting burned.
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