Warming Pea and Spinach Soup

I always keep frozen veggies on hand. They come in very handy when a quick meal is needed and can rescue a dull meal. My "always on" stand by frozen vegetables are peas. They're great for a quick pea mash to accompany a roast or grilled meat and I love their use in pasta. They're sweet, juicy and full of flavour. It's a vegetable that doesn't lose any nutrients from being frozen. I made a batch of this soup the other day and it was all done in about half an hour. I had some leftover mint and threw that in as well. Peas and mint are a classic combination and the flavours marry well together. A big hunk of crusty bread for dunking (and to make some cheesy croutons) and I was set. You may choose to add cream at the end for a bit of a "lift" but the soup also works well without it (so does my waistline!).

RECIPE FOR PEA AND SPINACH SOUP

• 2 cups of frozen peas
• 1 big bunch of coarsley chopped spinach leaves
• 1 small bunch of finely chopped mint leaves
• 1 small red onion finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic finely diced
• 2-3 cups of chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• a "splash" of cream

1. In a medium sized pot fry off the onion and garlic on a medium heat till they become translucent
2. Add the peas and give everything a good stir. At this stage you can also place in the mint leaves.
3. Add the chicken stock and let the peas simmer for 10-15 mins
4. Add the spinach towards the end and let it all soften
5. Whizz with a stab blender in the pot or use a blender or food processor
6. Add the splash of cream and salt and pepper and give it all a good stir

Top with cheesy coutons and serve. N.B. The croutons or toasts are very easy to make. Cut some small pieces of bread and top with parmesan or cheddar cheese and place under a griller to melt or alternatively bake in a hot oven for about 5 mins.

If I'm having guests over for dinner and I'm not serving a soup as a starter I serve this soup in a shot glass as a canape. Its a great way to receive "oohs and aaahhs" from your guests and it also warms them up a little (especially in the cooler months). Try it...its so easy!

On another note I got tagged by Pixie to play along in a meme. I had to compose a 6 word memoir about myself and tag some other bloggers in the process. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of memes myself, this one's quite quick and I suppose I can do it. I won't tag anyone else to play but what I'll do is give you a list of SOME (there are so many!!!) blogs that I really enjoy reading over my morning coffee here in Australia. If any of you are reading this then its up to you if you wanna play. There is no pressure at all! Ok here's my memoir:

• Hungry..all the bloody time
• Passionate...about all my activities
• Funny...when the occasion strikes
• Stubborn...my way or no way
• Ostentatious...you gotta stand out
• Talkative...love a chat..did I say how much I love to talk?..no really..I do!

• Heather from Gild The Voodoolily for the most entertaining read on the web. Ever. Period. (and her recipes are A++)
• Ben from What's Cooking for real Mexican food.
• Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska because I could eat at her place the whole year and never go hungry!
• Ivy from Kopiaste...right from her kitchen we get to see the Best and Tastiest Greek and Cyprian recipes
• Allen from Eating Out Loud because he always tries something different. His latest experiments with Indian cooking had me inspired!

Have fun and enjoy the soup.

Tags:recipes peas quick

Fresh wholemeal linguine with asparagus, peas, spinach and mint.

I try to eat healthy. I swear I do. I try to incorporate a well balanced eating routine but I find that during the "silly" season (Xmas and New Year) things can get a little hectic on the food front. Second helpings and extra sweets can certainly build up into unwanted kilos. So I was looking for a healthier alternative the other night for dinner. My local deli always has a handy supply of goodies and on that particular day I found some freshly made whole wheat linguine. Interesting I thought. I just need to balance this out with some lovely greens. I picked some fresh asparagus, some peas, a bunch of spinach and some fresh mint. Then off to work I went!

While this pasta dish is not of the traditional variety I always believe its good to experiment and play around with food. It was very easy to prepare and it provided me with some very well needed greens. I thought that the linguine might have been a little heavy but it was fine. I have included an extra step for those who want to be a little "wicked" in preparing this dish.

PASTA WITH "GREENS"
Pasta of your choice
One bunch of asparagus with the stalky bits cut off.
A cup of fresh peas (you can use frozen..less time)
A good handful of spinach
A handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
A little olive oil
A clove of garlic, finely chopped

Wicked optional ingredient
Mascarpone

1. Do all the usual things. Clean the asparagus and discard the "woody" ends. Shell the peas (if using fresh). Rinse the spinach.
2. Bring two pots of water to the boil. In one, place the asparagus first and let it cook for a couple of mins. Then add the peas and spinach and let it cook for about another minute. (We are looking at blanching here and not cooking everything for too long).
3. Drain the greens and refresh them in some cold water.
4. Now, cook your fresh pasta. (fresh pasta will not take too long to boil. A couple of mins at the most). Once cooked, drain and reserve some of the pasta water.
5. Heat up a fry pan with a little olive oil. Add your minced garlic and let it cook a little. Be wary about burning it! Drain your cooled greens and place in the fry pan. Give it a good toss making sure the greens get coated by the oil.
6. Add the freshly cooked pasta and toss through again.
7. Add the freshly chopped mint and some salt and pepper.
8. If things get a little dry here add some of the reserved pasta water.
9. Finally, if you want to be a little wicked add a good tablespoon of fresh macarpone! It just adds a lovely velvety, soft touch to this dish!
10. Serve with some freshly grated parmesan, a glass of rose and some Sydney sunshine.



Eat your greens!

Tags:recipes quick pasta peas

Steak with Pea mash

I answered my friends challenge the other day by providing a "hearty" recipe. I thought why not continue with my carnivorous rampage? Bring it on I say! Off I went to the butchers again in search of that perfect meat morsel to cook. I noticed the scotch fillets on display and I gave into my caveman urges once again. They were plump, soft and full of that good ol' marbling that makes it taste that little bit better. Of course, the marbling is fat but its definitely needed in a steak. Without it, we would end up with something dry and similar to cardboard. And I provided the perfect side dish. Minted pea mash. This is another favourite of mine and I tend to cook it more than mashed potatoes. Especially in the winter time. Even though its not winter here in Sydney Australia, the steak and peas are another one of those perfect marriages no matter what the weather is. Add a good Australian shiraz to the mix and you have another easy, fantastic meal.




FOR THE STEAK

Make sure you obtain good quality meat. Eye fillet will do but I just happened to fall in love with the scotch fillets that day. Look for marbling in the meat. It shows that the animal has been grazing on good pastures and has been looked after well. The marbling is essential for the flavour and taste. Simply season them with salt and pepper and sear them in a hot pan on a mediumish heat. Once they have been seared I place the pan with the meat in a hot oven and let it continue to cook for about 10 or so minutes. This will yield a medium temperature. If you must have them well done (sacrilege!) keep them in for an extra 5 minutes. Once they are out of the oven, place them in a separate plate, cover them with foil and let the meat rest. This will ensure the steaks remain juicy and tender. Don't start cleaning that frypan just yet. We're going to use it to make a lovely sauce to accompany the meat.

FOR THE SAUCE

See all those lovely burnt bits at the bottom of the pan? These are going to help us make a nice sauce. You can add a number of things to make a sauce for the steaks. Mushrooms, garlic, peppercorns, wine. Any of those will do. Just don't get too complex. I basically chopped up a few eschallots finely and placed them into the pan with the juices of the steak and the burnt bits. Once they had fried a little I poured in some readily bought beef stock and let the sauce reduce on a high heat. You can add wine here as well and it would really add a lot more depth to the sauce. To thicken the sauce slightly I added a knob of butter. (An old trick I had learnt from my restaurant years). Once the sauce has thickened, its ready. Pour it over your meat and enjoy heartily.

FOR THE PEA MASH

I can ramble on for hours about the reasons to purchase fresh peas and how "fresh is always best". Yes, it's a mantra I definitely stick by. But who has the time to bother with all that? Especially with hungry carnivores circling the kitchen like sharks. The quick and easy way to make the pea mash is to buy frozen minted peas form the freezer section of your supermarket. Place the amount of desired peas in a bowl with a god knob of butter and zap it for a couple of minutes on high in your microwave. Once the peas have been warmed through add them to a food processor. Season with salt and pepper and here's the secret ingredient. Brought to you by the sultry Domestic Goddess Nigella. Add some sour cream or creme fraiche and whizz them until you have a chunky consistency. Don't over process them because you'll have baby food on your hands!

And that my friends is how you bring all these fine ingredients together and make the perfect steak meal. And don't forget the red wine....

Tags:recipes Steak peas