For years i hated peas.
As a child i despised the taste, the
look, the feel and the smell of them. They were probably my least favourite
food especially when poorly teamed with their little yellow twins sweet
corn. Like a Brazilian themed mini child's ball pool at the edge of the
dinner plate, but no where near as much fun. Their other problem is they
roll around the plate and are completely unsuited to the cutlery used for the dinner course,
meaning you look like some anorexic girl eating your meal one tiny pea
morsel at a time with your comparatively giant fork, it'd be like eating
meatballs with a garden rake...
Anyway.
As i grew older i tried more of the foods i thought i didn't like and found that either initially i had been wrong or that my taste buds had matured (or numbed...) and i now enjoyed the taste. Thinking about it, it was possibly down to them being poorly prepared, like school dinners with cheap ingredients and cooked badly, or most commonly to death.
The first time i remember liking peas was New Years Day, probably around 1998. We all used to head down to our local lacrosse club the day after New Years Eve to catch up with friends and celebrate further the year to come. Another tradition was for an older Scottish gentleman from the club, John Marr - a living legend in lacrosse circles, to make a huge batch of his special split pea and ham soup and force everyone to eat some along with a generous glass of scotch whisky! I had been reluctant for years and had managed to avoid either in the most part but then i found myself cornered by the huge Scottish beast and forced to take a bowl of his soup and what must have been half a pint of scotch. Taking a big mouthful of the soup, there was no way in my fragile state i was going to risk the scotch, i found myself pleasantly surprised, not only was i enjoying the pea taste but also i could feel my body responding to the nutritional benefits that the soup was reaping on my hungover body. I liked peas... I then thought 'what the heck' and had a swig of the scotch too and nearly vomited...
Unfortunately a year later on the way to our lacrosse club get together i was told a rumour about a batch of John's split pea and ham soup from a few years back. Apparently John's flat had been broken into one new years eve and the pesky burglars had not only stolen electronic equipment among other valuable items but had also spotted the soup and one of them had decided to ruin an old man's good work by weeing in the pot. John apparently coming back and finding this had not let it beat him and had given the soup a bloody good stir, warmed it through, added a little extra salt and pepper and served it up the next day anyway... I need not confirm, however absurd the story may sound, that with my new year hungover stomach, the story ruined my desire to eat any pea soup that day and for a good while after.
More recently, over the last few years, i have learnt to love all food and am now comfortable with the taste of pea. I've experienced delicious pea puree smudged across my plate in a posh vegetarian restaurant and devoured large pots of mushy peas with traditional fish and chips by the sea side. I had however still not cooked with them myself, until a friend brought some around as part of a dinner party we were having and we forgot to use them leaving them waiting for me in the bottom of the freezer. The peas had already come in handy once to reduce a badly swollen knee but were again put to good use following an inspiring episode of Saturday Kitchen for this delicious soup, served hot or cold it's just pea....rfect!
Anyway.
As i grew older i tried more of the foods i thought i didn't like and found that either initially i had been wrong or that my taste buds had matured (or numbed...) and i now enjoyed the taste. Thinking about it, it was possibly down to them being poorly prepared, like school dinners with cheap ingredients and cooked badly, or most commonly to death.
The first time i remember liking peas was New Years Day, probably around 1998. We all used to head down to our local lacrosse club the day after New Years Eve to catch up with friends and celebrate further the year to come. Another tradition was for an older Scottish gentleman from the club, John Marr - a living legend in lacrosse circles, to make a huge batch of his special split pea and ham soup and force everyone to eat some along with a generous glass of scotch whisky! I had been reluctant for years and had managed to avoid either in the most part but then i found myself cornered by the huge Scottish beast and forced to take a bowl of his soup and what must have been half a pint of scotch. Taking a big mouthful of the soup, there was no way in my fragile state i was going to risk the scotch, i found myself pleasantly surprised, not only was i enjoying the pea taste but also i could feel my body responding to the nutritional benefits that the soup was reaping on my hungover body. I liked peas... I then thought 'what the heck' and had a swig of the scotch too and nearly vomited...
Unfortunately a year later on the way to our lacrosse club get together i was told a rumour about a batch of John's split pea and ham soup from a few years back. Apparently John's flat had been broken into one new years eve and the pesky burglars had not only stolen electronic equipment among other valuable items but had also spotted the soup and one of them had decided to ruin an old man's good work by weeing in the pot. John apparently coming back and finding this had not let it beat him and had given the soup a bloody good stir, warmed it through, added a little extra salt and pepper and served it up the next day anyway... I need not confirm, however absurd the story may sound, that with my new year hungover stomach, the story ruined my desire to eat any pea soup that day and for a good while after.
More recently, over the last few years, i have learnt to love all food and am now comfortable with the taste of pea. I've experienced delicious pea puree smudged across my plate in a posh vegetarian restaurant and devoured large pots of mushy peas with traditional fish and chips by the sea side. I had however still not cooked with them myself, until a friend brought some around as part of a dinner party we were having and we forgot to use them leaving them waiting for me in the bottom of the freezer. The peas had already come in handy once to reduce a badly swollen knee but were again put to good use following an inspiring episode of Saturday Kitchen for this delicious soup, served hot or cold it's just pea....rfect!
Ingredients -
700 g Frozen Peas
1.2l Chicken Stock
Onions - i used - Half an onion, 2 shallots, 4 spring onions as that's what i had in, chopped
3 Sticks of Celery, chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
Large handful of fresh Mint Leaves
Lemon Juice, approx 2 tbsp, freshly squeezed
Feta Cheese, however much you fancy
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan
- Add onions, garlic, celery, pepper
- Fry for approx 8 mins until soft
- Add hot chicken stock and pea
- Bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins until peas are soft
- Blend
- Stir through mint and lemon juice and blend again for a short time to leave mint leaf speckles, pretty!
- Serve with a generous amount of crumbled feta over the top and a little more freshly ground black pepper
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