Pea and lentil soup is comfort food at it’s best, a hug in a mug if you choose to serve it casual style while curled up in front of the fire on a cold winter’s day. Soup is the perfect lunch for me at this time of year, warming and hearty and with a piece of crusty bread it keeps me going till supper time.
Soup Making
I love making soup, it takes me right back to how I first learned to cook helping my Mum by kneeling on a stool in the kitchen chopping up veggies for the soup she made every couple of days throughout the autumn and winter months. There was always soup for lunch in our house. Mum would just use whatever veggies she had to hand and lentils were very often featured as a good filling element.
I do think soup making is a real tradition in Scotland, the kitchen is never complete in the cooler months (most of the year here) without a pot of soup on the go.
Lentils
Of course nowadays we all know how good lentils and pulses are for us, way back then I just thought they were funny little orange things that were inedible unless cooked. Actually they were very useful for sticking on to my arty projects at school and made a nice mess when trampled into the carpet when they invariably fell off said project. I was reminded of all this when my own daughter went to our village primary school and brought home all those arty endevours with lentils and pasty stuck all over the place. Food and memories…….
My Pea and Lentil Soup is a great way of using up sorts of bits and bobs in the fridge. In this recipe I’m using up a leek, courgette and a celery stick, plus an onion and a bunch of parsley.
You will want to add liquid of course to get the consistency you prefer, use either plain water or a veggie stock.
I’ve used frozen peas and I’ve finished things off with some pea shoots I bought in the supermarket, but that’s just being flashy (though they do taste good) and totally optional.
So follow the simple recipe below and make your own bowl of healthy, hearty comfort food.
K x
Pea and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 leek chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 stick celery chopped
- 1/2 courgette chopped
- bunch of parsley chopped
- 1 bag of frozen peas
- 1/2 cup lentils
- salt and pepper to taste
- peashoots to decorate optional
- water or vegetable stock
Instructions
- Saute the onion and celery in a deep pan for 5 mins then add the garlic for 2 mins
- Add the courgette and leek, peas and lentils plus the parsley and seasoning
- Add enough water or stock till you get the consistency you want
- Simmer for 30 mins
- Blitz with a hand held blender
- Serve with pea shoots on top
PIN ME FOR LATER
No extra liquid? Surely some stock would loosen it a bit
Just add enough water to get the consistency you want, will amend post to clarify
K x