Little Green Goddess

On a day that marked an important milestone in my life, we sat at a strategic social distance from the other guests in a room that backed onto a courtyard that was set out in a way to look like a place in Southern Europe. The room was a restaurant in a historic local hotel and the date we went there had been sometime in the fairly recent past towards the end of the first quarter of the 21st century.

The event celebrated at that time was a low key milestone but one that pointed the way, in spite of all the uncertainty, to a bright new future. The first course had arrived in the shape of the freshest and most flavoursome Pea and Mint soup I had ever tasted. It inspired the soup I made yesterday, following an afternoon of planting a series of seeds in the garden that may feature in this blog in the future if they grow to their potential. 

Yesterday had been muggy and almost dreamy in the weather that formed. I was dropped from the cricket team, again, in favour of rotating the squad, again, which is a sure-fire way for players lose match fitness and doesn't do much to bind together a proper team spirit or develop all players' match-play abilities on any kind of a consistent level. Realising life was too short- especially as the team deservedly won the day's game which was what mattered most, I didn't spend time fretting too long about this and, after I had spent the time mentioned in the garden, began my Pea and Mint Soup preparation.

On the player was the equally dreamy "The Big Huge" which is the Incredible String Band's fifth album and was released in 1969. It features lots of hypnotic sitar playing, nasal vocals, pastoral yet countercultural lyrics and a ton of atmosphere. If that's your bag then why not check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ns6VP3D4JtA1wRmmyptz2KKfh_lIxGkV4  , then support the artists who made it by streaming it on Amazon or Spotify or buying the album outright. 

So to the recipe which is as follows:

2 Garlic Cloves, peeled, topped, tailed and sliced very thinly. 

1 White Onion, peeled, topped, tailed and diced into small squares. 

2 New Potatoes, peeled and cut into circles. 

Half a pint of Vegetable Stock.

250 grams of Fresh Peas. 

4 Fresh Mint Leaves chopped finely. 

1 pinch of Demerara Sugar. 

1 teaspoon of Fresh Lemon Juice. 

2 tablespoons of Unsweetened Soya Milk. 

The method is as follows:

1. Warm the Potatoes, Onion and Garlic with some Olive Oil in a Le Cresceut or Deep Frying Pan on a low heat for 15 minutes. 

2. Add the Vegetable Stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. 

3. Add the Peas and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

4. Add the Demerara Sugar, Lemon Juice and Milk and blend on the puree setting. 

5. Return to the Le Cresceut or pan that was previously used, warm through and served. 

The tastes of this soup evoke the feel of High Summer. Fresh Mint and New Potatoes are traditionally served together, as are Fresh Peas and so this soup was perfect for this time of year. 

Butter would melt: a nob of Unsalted Butter is a great addition to this soup once served.