Did you MAKE this?!! Pea, Parmesan and Garlic Soup

In my last recipe post (SEE HERE), I talked about those special dishes we make that inspire the "OMG ... did you make this?!!!" reaction.  So continuing along that path, here's another recipe that I guarantee will get that same reaction, yet it's easy peasy to make ... quite literally!

This soup is one of my fave soups and I originally stumbled across it via Nigel Slater's Real Food.  I saw him make it on telly and rushed out to buy the book and it has since become one of my Desert Island cookbooks, so if it's not already on your shelf, I really do boss  recommend that you remedy that after reading this post!  The twist is that it's not his recipe but Nigella's.  It's OK, he did attribute it to her so all is well in the world of bonhomie and cookery writers.

The original recipe became far too rich for my palette over time, thus I've adapted it to my taste, as I mention below.  So this recipe has moved away from Nigella's somewhat but I thank her for the inspiration.  And as with most food I make, this soup isn't chemistry (like baking) and my ingredients quantities are not too prescriptive.

This soup is so heavenly, yet is so easy to make and like all of my favourite dishes, it can be made in advance so that at the time of serving you've had plenty of downtime to doll yourself up, light a few candles, put on some nice music ... yes, time enough to look gorgeously relaxed when your guests arrive.



Pea, Parmesan and Garlic Soup

Serves 4-6, depending on how hungry you are

Staged and photographed by Son - didn't he do well?!

Ingredients

One head of garlic

2 teaspoons olive oil

Large bag of frozen petit pois, about 600-800 gr

75 gr butter

4-6 tbspns grated parmesan cheese

600 ml vegetable or chicken stock (I tend to use my own fresh chicken stock)

284 ml pot of double cream, max*

Method

Heat the oven to 200c. Lop the top off the head of garlic, then place on a square of aluminium foil that can loosely package the garlic.  Place the whole head of garlic in the centre of the square.  Drizzle the oil over the top of the garlic.  Make a loose parcel around the garlic then place on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes.  The garlic parcel should feel soft when you squeeze it (don't use your bare hands, it will be hot!).  Set to one side to cool.

NB: I usually do this in advance and when I'm already using the oven, so as not to be wasteful of energy.  You can pop it wrapped in the fridge if you are making the soup later.

Boil up the peas in lightly salted water.  Drain.  Return to the saucepan.  Mash with a food blender a little, then add the squeezed out cloves of garlic, butter, Parmesan and half the stock.  Blend carefully together. I leave a few bits of pea in the mash as I like to see that it's pea soup when its served and not some Hulk-style green soup!

Gently add the remaining stock and the cream, to taste.  I say "to taste" as the original recipe called for huge amounts of cream.  *I've roughly halved the quantity with the 284 ml but even then, I tend not to put the whole pot of cream into the pan.  You can use up to double this quantity of cream should you wish, but be warned, that quantity makes for a very rich soup.  Remember, you can add but you can't take away!

Warm through, taste and add salt and pepper as required.

Serve and ENJOY, maybe with some freshly baked baguette ... and more butter!

If I'm feeling "posh", I add some freshly chopped coriander and a drizzle of any remaining cream just before taking the bowls to the table.

This soup is perfect pretty much all year round. 

It comes into its own on rainstormed days.

I also keep it in my Florence Nightingale arsenal and make up a batch when loved ones are poorly, or off their food and in need of something tasty and nourishing to perk up their taste buds.  

It's my savoury tiramisu!

It's so easy to eat that if you're feeling a little under the weather,  you can even pour some into a mug, grab yourself a soup spoon, snuggle yourself in a rug on the sofa and enjoy the heck out of it!

This soup freezes well and calls for nothing but everyday ingredients that you probably already have in the fridge, freezer and veggie drawer.  So there's nothing stopping you making it today, technically!

A la perchoine.