Green pea and lavender soup

Soup isn’t just for winter! This bright soup is full of spring flavours, and easy to make from your freezer or pantry in only half an hour.

 
It also pairs beautifully with the Earthbound Organic Sauvignon Blanc, which (according to our tasters) is a fresh and juicy, light-bodied wine with notes of spanspek and melon on the nose and palate. If you’d like find out more about our country’s tastiest organic and earth-friendly wines, you’ll love the Nedbank Green Wine Guide. It’s a pocket-sized guide showcasing 11 award-winning wine farms, as well as three routes to take you there, and it comes free with our November issue!

Green pea & lavender soup

recipe by Shannon Smuts of Pure Good Food

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh cream
• 5-6 lavender stalks
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 medium leek, root trimmed, thinly sliced
• 5 mls salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 50g vegetable stock mixed with 2½ cups water
• 3 cups fresh peas, shelled (or thawed frozen peas)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
• 5-6 mint leaves

Cooking method

1. Simmer the cream and lavender in a saucepan for 10 minutes, on the lowest heat. Don’t let the cream boil! Remove from the stove and allow to cool.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in another saucepan over medium heat until simmering.
3. Add the leek, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
4. Add the stock, 1½ teaspoons salt and a pinch of pepper and bring to the boil. Add the peas and bring to the boil again.
5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, add the mint and stir to combine.
7. Leave to stand, uncovered, for about 10 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
8. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan to warm up on a low heat, and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. Spoon into bowls.
9. Remove the lavender stalks from the cream and drizzle 2 tablespoons of cream onto the soup before serving.