Carrying on with this month’s theme of soups and salads, here is another installment. The inspiration for this soup came from a recent ski trip I went on, where we were served something very similar. The toasted almonds add much needed texture to what would otherwise be ‘just another soup’.
Top tip: Toast the almonds in a dry pan, moving constantly to get a light brown colour, whilst ensuring they don’t burn.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
Frozen Peas – 1,874 (or 500g)
Onion – 1
Garlic – 2 cloves
Ground Almonds – 2 tbsp, heaped
Sliced Almonds – 2 handfuls
Butter – 25g
Stock (chicken/vegetable) – 500mls
Pancetta Cubes – 1 handful
1. Peel and dice the onion. Peel and crush the garlic and add to the pan. Sauté with the butter until softened.
2. Add the frozen peas to the pan, and add enough stock to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer until the peas are cooked through, then add the ground almond and season to taste.
3. Pour the mixture from the pan into a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. In a dry pan toast the sliced almonds, once brown remove from the pan and place to one side. In the same pan add the pancetta and fry until just crispy.
Pour the soup into bowls, and serve with a generous sprinkling of almonds and pancetta.