Winter is the time to indulge in a wealth of soups. The ultimate in fast food, soups are easily digestible, filling and quick to prepare and reheat when needed.
Whilst the glory of this soup is given to the pea, it is the the combination of the sweetness of the pea and the bitterness of the spinach that gives this soup is satisfying complexity and nutritional superpowers. Prized by Popeye, Spinach has an impressive array of minerals in its arsenal as its high in Iron, Magnesium and Folate. However in its raw form, spinach contains oxalates that can bind to calcium and iron in the stomach, interfering with their absorption and potentially leading to nutritional deficiency if consumed in high amounts… This is one concern with regular green juicers!
In my humble opinion, little beats the flavour of cooked spinach, with the added benefit that once cooked you can easily consume vast amounts of the stuff!
Pea and mint soup
Ingredients
- 1 finely chopped white onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
- 400g spinach
- 600g petit pois
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 tbsp bouillion stock powder
- 1 handful mint leaves, stalks removed
Instructions
- Sauté the onion until glistening
- Add the crushed garlic and infuse for one minute
- Stir in the spinach until wilted
- Pop in the peas and bouillon powder with enough hot water to cover them
- Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the peas are soft then add the mint leaves
- Transfer to blender, blend until combined but still has texture - do not over blend
- Return to saucepan and mix through coconut milk, gently heating to serve
