Pea & Mint Soup

So, I thought I'd kick this off (a couple of years later than anticipated) with my all time favourite soup: Pea & Mint. This is one that can have several different healthy/unhealthy alternatives depending on how decadent/self-controlled you're feeling. It's a really fresh soup and is a great one for taking to work & sticking in the microwave and equally great with a swirl of cream and a fresh mint leaf on top for the start of a special meal.
I'm a bit rough on my quantities for several reasons. (a) Soup isn't an exact art like baking. A lot of it comes down to what you have in the fridge/store cupboard, what's needing used up, etc. and (b) Soup comes down to personal taste. I happen to love (and when I say love, I mean LOVE) peas. So lots of peas are important. Some people like their soup thicker, thinner, etc. It may take a bit of practice to get it exactly the way you want it. These recipes are intended as guidelines for you to achieve your perfect soup. Feel free to alter and make it your own.

This should serve 3-4 people. 
Takes about 1/2 hour to make, including prep.
You will need:

• 1tbsp olive oil (healthy option) or 15g butter and 1tsp olive oil (not so healthy option)
• 1 large onion, chopped roughly
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 500g peas (I use frozen, but fresh would work equally well. I dislike canned peas and they don't make such a vibrant green soup, but if that's all you've got, give it a try & let me know how it turns out)
• A handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped (or 1-2 tsp dried mint if you don't have fresh mint kicking around)
• Boiling water (approx 1 litre)
• Chicken stock (I always use stock cubes. For this recipe I use 1 1/2 to start off with to make sure it's not too salty. You can always add more in at the end when you've had a taste. Fresh stock works just as well and is incredibly tasty. I just find stock cubes more convenient and affordable. But it's your choice which you'd like to use)
• Black pepper (fresh is always best. Really can't beat it in homemade soups. But again if you've got pre-ground pepper it'll work just fine.)

1. Sweat the onion in the oil for a couple of minutes over a medium heat. 
2. Add the garlic. 
3. After about a minute, add the peas and dried mint (if you're using dried mint) or half of the fresh mint. 
4. After another minute(ish) pour over the boiling water and add the stock.
5. Season with a generous grinding of pepper.
6. Cook for 10-15 mins until the onions are soft.
7. If you're using fresh mint, add the rest of the mint at this point.
8. Take off the heat and liquidize. You could use a stick blender or regular blender. If you like your soup silky smooth, pass it through a sieve at this point to get rid of the pea skins. If you like your soup with a little bit more body, leave the skins in. I love it with a more rustic texture but for a dinner party, you may prefer to go for the smoother approach (or if you have fussy kids who dislike anything that's not 100% silky smooth).
9. Taste. It may need more pepper, more stock, more salt. This is entirely your personal taste at this point. You may want to put more mint in. Just make sure you liquidise it again if you add any more mint.
10. If you're feeling indulgent, you could add some cream or creme fraiche just before you liquidize the soup. I find that the soup loses some of its freshness this way but takes on a rich, creamy character instead. (NB If you're on a weight loss mission, this is not a recommended addition!)
11. Serve. You could add a swirl of cream, a fresh mint leaf or some croutons if you want to. Or you could just eat it as it is.
12. Enjoy!