Mint and Pea Soup

Name: Mint and Pea Soup (Zuppa di Piselli e Menta)
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 bunch fresh wild mint, leaves only, washed; 2 medium shallots, finely chopped; 55 g (2 oz) unsalted butter; 800 g (1¾ lb) fresh podded green peas (or frozen); 800 g (1¾ lb) fresh podded green peas (or frozen); 500 ml (18 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock; 500 ml (18 fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock; a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg; 100 ml (3½ fl oz) crème fraîche; salt and pepper to taste; salt and pepper to taste

Zuppa di Piselli e Menta

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Antonio Carluccio Goes Wild

By Antonio Carluccio

Published 2001

About

When my wife lived in France, the French used to call her ‘petit pois à la menthe’, ‘little mint pea’ because of the English tradition of cooking peas with mint. This gave me the idea for this refreshing soup, although I gather it’s not particularly novel in Britain.

Ingredients

1 bunch fresh wild mint, leaves only, washed
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
55 g

Europe
France
Italy
United Kingdom
Soup
Gluten-free

Method

Fry the shallot in the butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, stock and mint leaves and simmer for 15-20 minutes (10 minutes if frozen). Transfer the ingredients from the pan to a blender, and blend to a smooth liquid. Return to the pan and add the nutmeg, seasoning to taste and crème fraîche. Reheat gently, and then serve immediately, accompanied by some toast or crostini<