Pea, Roasted Garlic and Basil Soup
British weather being British weather we've had a bit of a mixed bag of late and whilst this can be annoying for your washing line, it's actually fairly good for your garden...
The produce at this time of year is truly fantastic and this soup is a real celebration of what you can grow (or find in your greengrocers) right now. This soup is a real crowd pleaser with plenty of sweet roasted garlic and fresh basil as well as a touch of cider vinegar to cut through and thyme to give it roundness. I often don't bother blending it as it works rather well with a chunky texture but if you do this be sure to chop the roasted garlic finely before adding it to the pan.
Pea, Roasted Garlic and Basil Soup
Serves 4-6
1 garlic bulb
olive oil
2 leeks, finely chopped
6 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 litre stock (I used half chicken, half vegetable)
500g fresh or frozen peas
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Cut the top off the garlic bulb, put on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then cook the leeks and thyme for 5 minutes. Add the stock, peas and vinegar, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low, then add the basil and simmer gently, partially covered, for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, then pour into a blender. Remove the garlic from the oven and squeeze the cloves out of their skins into the blender. Whizz until the soup is your preferred texture and then serve with a chunk of crusty bread.
The produce at this time of year is truly fantastic and this soup is a real celebration of what you can grow (or find in your greengrocers) right now. This soup is a real crowd pleaser with plenty of sweet roasted garlic and fresh basil as well as a touch of cider vinegar to cut through and thyme to give it roundness. I often don't bother blending it as it works rather well with a chunky texture but if you do this be sure to chop the roasted garlic finely before adding it to the pan.
Pea, Roasted Garlic and Basil Soup
Serves 4-61 garlic bulb
olive oil
2 leeks, finely chopped
6 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 litre stock (I used half chicken, half vegetable)
500g fresh or frozen peas
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Cut the top off the garlic bulb, put on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then cook the leeks and thyme for 5 minutes. Add the stock, peas and vinegar, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to low, then add the basil and simmer gently, partially covered, for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, then pour into a blender. Remove the garlic from the oven and squeeze the cloves out of their skins into the blender. Whizz until the soup is your preferred texture and then serve with a chunk of crusty bread.
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