-
1
1. Finely chop the vegetables (shallots, garlic and chili pepper). Feel free to remove the seeds from the chili if you like. I kept about half of the seeds in but it's totally optional.
-
2
2. Add the olive oil and butter to a large stock pot and heat over medium heat.
-
3
2. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until soft but try and avoid letting them brown.
-
4
3. While the onions and garlic saute, finely dice the herbs, keeping them all together if you like. If you are lazy like me, you can give the herbs a quick whiz in the blender to dice them for you!
-
5
4. When the onions are done, add the chili pepper (if using), the chopped herbs and all of the peas. If the peas are frozen, stir them around for 2-3 minutes to let them defrost.
-
6
5. Sprinkle the flour over the peas and stir to combine. This will help the soup thicken later.
-
7
6. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
-
8
7. Once you have a nice rolling boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes.
-
9
8. Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender until the soup is smooth. If you don't have a stick blender, then you can use a regular one but do it in small batches. Just make sure you fill the blender to less than a third each time and don't totally close the lid while it blends, to let steam escape and avoid a nasty accident.
-
10
9. When the soup is smooth, return it to the pot and over gentle heat. Then stir in the heavy cream and half-and half.
-
11
10. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with some lovely bread, or a gorgeous salad if you're feeling even healthier!
