Summertime special soup

     Calorie count: 91

     Cooking with lettuce may not promise many thrills, but here its fresh green clarity – teamed 
     with that of the cucumber and trumped by the glory of fresh shelled peas – works wonders.
     Frozen peas are fine. This cold soup is just the thing to eat as spring gets underway and
     the evenings start to lengthen.

     Serves four

     Ingredients:

     1 tsp vegetable oil
     4 spring onions, chopped
     1 round lettuce, shredded
     1 large cucumber, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped
     150g fresh or frozen peas
     1 litre vegetable stock
     1 vegetable stock cube
     salt and pepper
     snipped chives
     1 Tbs half – fat crème fraîche

     Preparation:

  • Heat oil in a large pan and add spring onions, cooking gently for 3 minutes. 
  • Add lettuce, cucumber and peas, stir and sweat for 5 minutes. 
  • Add stock and stock cube, season and bring to the boil. 
  • Reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 15 minutes. 
  • Cool and blitz with a hand – held blender. 
  • Refrigerate until cold, check seasoning and consistency, and serve with chives and swirl of crème fraîche.

      Frozen peas often contain more vitamin C than week-old fresh peas; freezing just after 
      picking locks in the vitamin which otherwise declines over time.