Minted Garden Pea Soup with Crème Fraîche

Ingredients

• 900 garden peas, freshly podded, podded weight
• 30 g unsalted butteruse olive oil to make dairy-free
• 3 banana shallots, finely slicedor 1 medium white onion
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1000 ml vegetable stock, hot
• 20 g fresh mint leaves, leaves picked
• 120 g crème fraîcheuse coconut cream to make dairy-free
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Contains: milk.

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook gently for 6–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent but not coloured.About 7 min
2. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't catch.About 1 min
3. Pour in the hot vegetable stock and bring to a brisk simmer. Add the podded peas and cook for exactly 3 minutes. Do not overcook — you want them to stay brilliantly green.About 4 min
4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the fresh mint leaves. Working in batches if necessary, transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Be careful with the hot liquid — fill the blender no more than halfway each time and hold the lid down firmly.About 3 min
5. Pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve back into a clean saucepan, pressing with the back of a ladle to extract as much liquid as possible. This step gives you that restaurant-smooth texture.About 2 min
6. Return the pan to a low heat and stir in 80g of the crème fraîche. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Warm through gently — do not boil.About 2 min
7. Ladle into warmed bowls. Swirl a spoonful of the remaining crème fraîche through each portion and drizzle with olive oil if using. Serve immediately.