Chilled Spring Pea Gazpacho with Fresh Mint and Crème Fraîche
This vibrant, silky-smooth chilled soup celebrates the sweetness of spring peas paired with refreshing mint and a hint of lemon. Perfect as an elegant starter or light lunch, it's ready in minutes and served beautifully cold.
Ingredients
- 500g frozen garden peas
- 1 medium cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 spring onions, roughly chopped
- 25g fresh mint leaves, plus extra for garnish
- 500ml vegetable stock, chilled
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 100ml crème fraîche
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt for serving
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the frozen peas and blanch for 2-3 minutes until just tender and bright green.
Drain the peas immediately and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve the vibrant colour. Drain well after 2 minutes.
Reserve a small handful of peas for garnish. Add the remaining peas to a blender along with the cucumber, spring onions, mint leaves, garlic, and chilled vegetable stock.
Blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth and silky.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, and half of the crème fraîche. Blend again until well combined.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, add a splash more chilled stock.
Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until thoroughly chilled.
To serve, ladle the chilled gazpacho into bowls. Top each with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a swirl of remaining crème fraîche, reserved whole peas, and fresh mint leaves. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and cracked black pepper.
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