Frozen pea soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 kg frozen peas
• 60 g baby spinach
• salt and black pepper, to season

Fried croutons

• 50 g butter
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups sourdough bread cut into 1 cm cubes
• salt, to taste
• ½ tsp Korean chilli powder
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs

Toppings

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 rashers bacon, roughly chopped
• 150 g (1 cup) frozen corn kernels

Instructions

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil and onion. Fry for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the peas and spinach and return to a simmer. Blend the soup in batches until smooth and season with salt.
2. For the fried croutons, heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the bread and cook, tossing regularly until golden and crisp.Add a pinch of salt, the chilli powder, paprika and chopped herbs. Toss to combine and serve.
3. For the bacon and corn topping, heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and add the oil and bacon. Fry until the bacon is crisp, then add the corn and fry until the corn starts to brown. Top the soup with the bacon and corn croutons and a grind of black pepper and serve.

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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