Pea and broccoli soup with basil and pistachios
The weather is cold and dreary, which is nice, because that makes it the perfect occasion for soup. The pea and broccoli soup you see in the picture is a new favourite in our house that I can’t wait to share with you. With its healthy green base it makes a wonderful start of the new year – not because this is the month for slimming and detoxing, but because this soup is just utterly comforting and yummy.
Though we agree on a lot in our household, we do have our differences. On the one hand, me and my youngest are the strict vegetarians in the house, next to our occasional meat eating other halves. Then there’s the division when it comes to soup – with me and my soup loving eldest standing next to my husband and youngest, who think the addition of so much water to a dish is just a waste of beautiful ingredients.
This broccoli soup takes away all our differences, though. Based on the favourite ingredients of my youngest, she cheers when I announce this for dinner and even my husband is happy on soup night now – or at least he says so…. Broccoli, sweet peas and pistachios make this a hearty, creamy and slightly sweet soup, with a big bunch of basil for the herby touch. And did I mention you can have it on the table in under 15 minutes? Simply dress with extra veggies, chopped nuts and extra greens of choice and you’ll have the energy to take on anything in this new year.
I wish you a wonderful year, filled with joy, connectedness and beautiful surprises.
Pea and broccoli soup with basil and pistachios – serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 large heads of broccoli (total weight about 1 kg), cut into florets, stems peeled and roughly chopped
- 300 g peas, fresh or frozen
- 250 g pistachios (unshelled weight), shelled
- 1 l vegetable stock
- large bunch of basil (15-20 g)
- garnishings of your choice: a dollop of plant based cream (optional), sliced pistachios and extra veggies, herbs, pea shoots or other cress
Preparation
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and fry until translucent, then add the garlic. Fry the garlic for a minute until fragrant, then add the broccoli, the peas, the pistachios and the stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes until the peas and broccoli florets are just tender, but still bright green.
As soon as the vegetables are tender, take the soup off the heat and add the basil. Reserve some of the veg to top the soup, if you like. Transfer the remaining contents of the pan to a blender, or use a stick blender to puree the soup in the pan. Whizz until smooth, adding a little water if you like your soup to be thinner.
Serve the soup topped with a dollop of cream, the reserved peas and broccoli florets, sliced pistachios and other herbs, greens and cress to your liking.
