Pea & Lettuce Soup
Sweet pea and lettuce soup with ridiculously adorable cheesy pastry moon crackers and icebergs of sour cream.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 leek (135g)
2 sheets ready-made frozen shortcrust pastry
1 1/2 cups (150g) grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup (15g) finely snipped chives
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup (60g) salted butter
1/2 cup (10g) flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 large iceberg (or any other) lettuce, coarsely chopped
6 cups (800g) frozen baby peas
1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable stock
fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
icebergs of sour cream (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Jump forward to the leek for a second. To thoroughly rinse the leek, trim the tough green ends off and discard. Then make a slice from the top of the leek, going well down past the point where the leaves turn white. Rotate the leek and repeat the cut on the other side. Feather the leaves out and place them top down in a jug of water. The ends will open up, and any grit should fall out. Let the leek soak while you make the cute crackers.
Lay one sheet of shortcrust pastry on baking paper. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese and chives on top, then place the second pastry sheet on top of that. Cover with baking paper and press down evenly (but not too heavily).
Remove the top layer of baking paper and cut the pastry into ridiculously adorable shapes using a cookie cutter. For example, you can make moon phases.
Bake until golden, around 15 minutes. The crackers will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
In a large stockpot over low heat, sweat the leek and garlic with the butter and the lid on until soft and sweet. This will take approximately 15 minutes, but check and stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Add the parsley, lettuce, peas and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmering point. Let it simmer for 15 minutes with the lid ajar until everything is wilted and cooked.
Using a stick blender, puree the soup to the desired chunkiness. I prefer mine smooth-ish.
Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Serve the soup with the cute moon crackers and optional icebergs of sour cream on top.
HINTS
Double the cracker batch - they keep for days and vanish in hours.
Frozen peas go straight in, no thawing - and the lettuce is the secret that makes this soup silky rather than stodgy.
It freezes beautifully flat in zip-lock bags; add the sour cream icebergs fresh on reheat.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: approximately 16250kJ (3885 calories)
Protein: 90g
Fat: 215g
Saturated fat: 115g
Carbohydrates: 320g
Sugars: 45g
Fibre: 55g
Sodium: 6300mg
Note: includes the full cracker batch.
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.