Pea soup with kale and chard cheesy toast

In London, there is a phrase, still sometimes used : "it's a pea-souper today". It refers to the particular brown London fog that used to cover the streets from the local factories back in Charles Dickens's time. Pea soup in those days was reminiscent of this thick brown fog and Dickens's himself, called it London Particular in his book Bleak House. I first found this information in Mark Hix's book, British Regional Food and even I remember how much I hated this soup as a child for the same reasons, it was thick, brown and tasteless.

Today, of course, pea soup is not these things. For a start, the peas we now use are more likely to be fresh green garden varieties and not the dried split peas so commonly used back then. I remember watching an episode of one of Nigella Lawson's TV programs where she made what she affectionately called 'slime soup'. Pea soup with a good handful of mozzarella to melt and give the soup a slimy texture, like those cartons of green goo you could buy as kids. She had the same idea as Dickens, referring to her soup as something unpleasant, but I bet it tasted magnificent.

In Britain, we always associate pea soup with ham. More often than not, the large bone left over after a roast is used to create a stock to which peas are added. Sometimes I use ham stock cubes which I buy from the British food shop, adding some cream and mint or basil at the end to freshen it up. They are salty, just like a piece of ham and therefore the soup needs a careful hand with seasonings. Pea soup can be served cold or hot and if you want the brightest, vivid green for your soup, don't add the basil until the soup has chilled, otherwise you'll get that brown fog that was so prevalent in the England of olde.

 

 

Recipe : Pea soup

1 cup of water or chicken stock

1 tsp chicken stock paste (if using water)

1/2 cup freshly podded or frozen peas

salt and pepper

1 tbsp whipping cream

A pinch of fennel pollen (optional)

Kale and chard cheesy toast

1 small tortilla

1 tsp oil and 1 tsp butter

2 large leaves of Swiss chard, stems removed and finely sliced

1/4 red onion, finely sliced

The leaves from the chard, shredded finely

A small handful kale leaves, shredded

salt and pepper

2 tbsp grated cheese such as cheddar

For the soup:

Bring the stock or water and stock concentrate to a boil over high heat in a pan and add the peas.

Reduce the heat to medium and let the soup simmer until the peas are soft. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool for a little while. Once cool, blend in a processor or blender or even push through a sieve and return to the pan.

Add the cream and stir through well. Reheat through a gentle simmer while you make the toasts.

For the toast:

Grill (broil) the tortilla on one side until brown and crispy.

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat and when hot, add the onion and chard stems. Stir fry until they have softened slightly, then add the chard leaves and kale. Cook until they are wilted and soft, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly over medium heat.

Pile onto the tortilla and top with the cheese, spreading out to all edges. Grill until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the greens slightly crisp. Serve along with the soup which you have sprinkled some fennel pollen over (if using).