Quick and easy to make and it really does put a ‘spring in your step’ helping you to feel healthy and well. I often wonder why I don’t make it every week! Make it for someone you love this spring or bubble up a big pot and enjoy with crusty bread for lunch alone or maybe with good friends.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and added whole
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 700g peas (frozen are best)
- 1 head of broccoli, chopped into small pieces (use the stalk too)
- 2 round lettuces
- A bunch of fresh mint leaves (keep some to one side to add to the soup when cooked)
- 2 vegetable stock cubes and 600ml boiling water
- 1 tbsp of butter
- Juice of one lemon
- Salt and pepper
- Creme fraiche or cream to swirl on top
- Optional to serve: toasted seeds, grated cheese
Recipe courtesy of Miranda Gore Browne.
Miranda is a food writer, home-baking expert, director of The Kitchen School and passionate foodie. She was also a finalist on the first series of The Great British Bake Off. Miranda has written two books, Biscuit and Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can, both published by Ebury Press.
Method
- In a large pan, put the oil, finely chopped spring onions, garlic and lemon zest, stir with a wooden spoon and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the peas and stir until they start to soften a little.
- Roughly chop the lettuce and the broccoli and add to the pan with the mint, stir and let the leaves wilt a little.
- Pour over the hot stock and bring to the boil then simmer for about half an hour or until the vegetables are all soft.
- Blend with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Add the lemon juice, taste and season with salt and pepper and stir in the butter to make it glossy and shiny.
- Top with a swirl of crème fraiche or cream, grated cheese, chopped mint and some toasted seeds. Serve with the simply seedy cheese flower bread.
Simple seedy cheese flower bread
A flower-shaped cheesy soda bread, just what is needed with tasty homemade soup.
Ingredients
- 200g wholemeal flour
- 300g plain flour
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 100ml milk
- 300ml plain yogurt (or 300ml buttermilk)
- 120g strong cheddar coarsely grated
- 50g mixed seeds
Method
- Put the wholemeal and plain flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the milk, yogurt (or buttermilk), most of the grated cheddar and half of the seeds and stir together to make a sticky dough, knead a little with a dusting of plain flour to stop it sticking and split the dough into seven pieces. Use your hands to make each one into a roll shape.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Line a flat baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Put one of the rolls in the middle and then place the others around the edge of it.
- Sprinkle the remaining seeds and cheese on top.
- Bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes then reduce the temperature and bake at 170 degrees for another 20 minutes.
- Leave to cool completely before eating or the bread will be doughy and tough. You can always pop it into a low oven (120 degrees) to warm a little before serving.