Pea Pesto Soup With Fish Finger Croûtons Food

PEA AND PESTO SOUP

Steps:

• The quickest way to proceed is to fill a kettle first and put it on to boil. When it's boiled, measure the amount you need into a pan and put on the stove to come back to a boil.
• Add the frozen peas, scallions, salt and lime juice and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.
• Discard the scallions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.*
• Pour into a thermos flask that you've left filled with hot water and then emptied and make sure you screw the top on securely.
• *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

PEA PESTO

Steps:

• Sit a sieve in the pan of pasta as it cooks, add the peas and blanch for 2 minutes.
• Peel the garlic and place in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt. Tear in the herb leaves and add the pine nuts.
• Drain the peas and add them to the mix, then roughly bash it all up to whatever texture you like - I like to keep it chunky.
• Finely grate in the Parmesan, and add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil - enough to give you a spoonable consistency - then mix and season to perfection with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drain the pasta, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water. Toss with the pesto, loosening with some splashes of cooking water.
• Transfer to plates, and finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and an extra grating of Parmesan, if you like.

PEA PESTO CROSTINI

Steps:

• For the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
• For the crostini: Preheat a stovetop griddle or grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice.
• Top with tomato halves and serve.
• *Cook's note: If you don't have day-old bread on hand, you can dry out fresh bread by putting the slices in a preheated 300 degree F oven until slightly crisp, about 5 minutes.

GREEN PEA PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil; add the peas and cook until softened. Drain.
• Blend the peas, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, basil, and pepper in a blender; while the it blends, stream the olive oil into the mixture.

PEA AND PESTO SOUP

Steps:

• Combine peas, broth and water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. . Reduce heat, cover and simmer 35-45 minutes or until peas are very soft. Stir in the pesto, zucchini and scallions and simmer 5-10 minutes longer.. Garnish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and croutons.

PEA & PESTO SOUP WITH FISH FINGER CROûTONS

Steps:

• Tip the peas and potatoes into a large saucepan, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 mins, until the potato chunks are tender. Meanwhile, grill the fish fingers as per pack instructions until cooked through and golden. Cut into bitesize cubes and keep warm.
• Take a third of the peas and potatoes out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Blend the rest of the soup until smooth, then stir in the pesto with the reserved vegetables. Heat through and serve in warm bowls with the fish finger croûtons on top.