Cream of pea and broccoli soup with bacon croutons

Name: Cream of pea and broccoli soup with crisp bacon croutons recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tbs butter; 100ml olive oil; 2 onions, thinly sliced; 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces; 200g smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 1 bruised; 1 head broccoli, chopped, including stalks; 2 cups (240g) frozen peas; 4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock; 1 1/2 cups (firmly packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves, 1/2 cup finely chopped; 1/3 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve; 1/2 small loaf (about 300g) day-old sourdough, cut into 3cm cubes

1 rating

Jump to recipe

by Shannon Bennett

Chef

Apr 09, 2020

“This is a speedy spin on the classic pea and ham combo,” says Shannon Bennett.

1 tbs butter
100ml olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces
200g smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 1 bruised
1 head broccoli, chopped, including stalks
2 cups (240g) frozen peas
4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
1 1/2 cups (firmly packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves, 1/2 cup finely chopped
1/3 cup sour cream, plus extra to serve
1/2 small loaf (about 300g) day-old sourdough, cut into 3cm cubes

Method

1.

Heat butter and 1 tbs oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When butter starts to foam, add onion, potato and half the bacon and cook, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes until onions are very soft. Add crushed garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add broccoli, peas, stock and 2 cups (500ml) water, season, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, add the 1 cup parsley. Transfer to a blender, add sour cream and blend until smooth. Return to saucepan, bring to a simmer and check seasoning.
2.

Meanwhile, for bacon croûtons, heat 1 tbs oil in a non-stick frying pan, add remaining bacon and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until browned and fat renders. Drain in a heatproof sieve over a bowl to reserve oil. Return oil to pan, add remaining garlic and oil and cook for 1 minute to infuse oil with garlic, then add bread and cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes until bread is crisp and golden. Return bacon to pan, add chopped parsley, season and toss to combine. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon and croutons to a plate lined with paper towel and season.
3.

Serve soup topped with extra sour cream and bacon croutons.