Pea and Pesto Soup

SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

300g/10oz frozen peas or petit pois
750ml/ 1 1/4 pints hot chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons good quality pesto or 2 handfuls basil leaves
1tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp light cream cheese
1 tbsp olive oil

Recipe Summary

After the demands and excesses of the Christmas season, I wanted to share with you this lovely fresh soup recipe. It is virtually instant and makes a wonderful, healthy January lunch. Peas are a good source of vitamins C, K and folate – all nutrients which studies have shown people with arthritis tend to consume less of but are important for maintaining both general and joint health.

If you would like to make this using freezer and store cupboard ingredients then feel free to use a shop-bought pesto instead of the fresh basil and pine nuts – I’ve given directions for both. I find it much easier to blend soups using a lightweight handheld blender than transferring them to a processor. My hand blender only cost £10 and is used almost daily so, if you can splash out on one, I highly recommend them.

Method:

Put the peas and stock in a large saucepan. Cover and bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the basil, nuts, cheese and oil (or the ready-made pesto). Stir and then blitz the soup until smooth using a hand held or free standing blender. Serve topped with a few extra pine nuts and some wholemeal bread.