In my potentially never-ending quest to use up a large amount of mint, I prepared this Split Pea and Mint soup. I was on holiday in California a few years ago and this soup seemed to be bizarrely popular. “Yes, we have split pea soup!” declared the enthusiastic signs.

Since then, I always have a bag of split peas in the press; they’re a great alternative protein source and don’t need to be soaked.

If you’re making soup, it’s well worth cooking a large pot in industrial quantities and freezing some in containers. Then you’ll have soup for several days lunches. I was able to make around 12 portions for well under €5 using mostly organic vegetables from Lidl and split peas from the Asia Market on Drury St in Dublin.

There are twelve portions here so adjust this recipe accordingly.

Split Pea and Mint Soup

Ingredients

• 220g split peas
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 5-6 parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped into small cubes
• 3 litres (6 pints) water with 3 vegetable stock cubes
• Two handfuls of fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan
• Add the onions and garlic and saute for another minute on a medium heat
• Now add the other chopped vegetables and stir. Cover, lower the heat, and allow the vegetables to cook for five minutes
• Add the split peas and the water with stock cubes, cover and bring to the boil.
• Simmer for 30-35 minutes or until the split peas and vegetables are cooked through. Stir occasionally to ensure the split peas don’t stick to the bottom of the pot
• Add the mint and blend the soup

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