Pea veloutž

Velouté simply means ‘velvety’, and velvety is just how I like my pea soup. My mum would make old-fashioned pea soup using soaked dried peas, cooked for hours on end until they broke down into a creamy, smooth mass. I am happy to report you don’t need to soak, or cook, peas for hours. This soup can be on the table in 20 minutes from beginning to end. Make this vegan by dropping the butter and doubling up on the olive oil; or make it meaty by frying up some smoked bacon with the onions – both options work wonderfully.

SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins COOK 15 mins EASY V 2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve 6 spring onions, chopped

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

2 tbsp plain flour

800ml hot good-quality vegetable

or chicken stock

500g frozen peas

400g can butter beans handful of mint leaves, roughly

chopped, plus extra to serve pinch of chilli flakes and crusty

bread, to serve (optional)

1 Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Once the butter is foaming, add the spring onions and bay leaf, and fry gently for 5 mins until the onion is soft but without colour. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 mins, then gradually pour in the hot stock, stirring continuously until smooth.

2 Add the peas to the pan, then the beans along with the liquid from the can. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 mins, or until the peas are tender.

3 Stir in the mint and plenty of seasoning, then use a hand blender to blend the soup until smooth.

4 Ladle into bowls, scatter over the extra mint, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of chilli flakes, if using. Serve with plenty of crusty bread on the side.

GOOD TO KNOW healthy • low fat • fibre • 2 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 290 kcals • fat 11g • saturates 5g •

carbs 30g • sugars 9g • fibre 12g • protein 12g •

salt 0.6g