Green Split Pea, Kale and Lime Soup

This recipe for green split pea soup with a twist of lime is a hearty and comforting dish that is perfect for a cold winter day. Made with kale from the garden and either sour yoghurt or coconut milk (for a plant based version) it is both smooth and tangy. If you want to speed up the cooking time you can soak the split peas overnight in cold water, but I don’t bother as they cook in 40 minutes anyway so it doesn’t take too long.

Recipe - Makes 3 portions - Ready in 40 minutes

• 200g green split peas

• 200g kale, spinach or chard

• 1 onion

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 400ml stock / water

• 400ml coconut milk or 3tbsp tangy yoghurt and 200ml milk

• 2 limes

• 1 bay leaf

• 1tbsp wholegrain mustard

• 2tbsp worcestershire sauce

• 1tbsp cider vinegar

• 1tbsp sunflower oil

• A pinch of salt and pepper

• Optional: 50g young goat’s cheese

Step 1.

Dice the onion and gently sautee with the sunflower oil and seasoning for 10-15 minutes until transparent and sweet, then add the crushed garlic, vinegar and worcestershire sauce. Reduce for 1 minute.

Step 2.

Add the split peas, stock and a bay leaf and bring to the boil before reducing to a simmer for 40 minutes. If the mixture starts to look dry during this time, add a little more water but no more than 1cm above the split peas.

Step 3.

When the split peas are tender and soft, fish out the bay leaf and add the mustard, coconut milk (or yoghurt/milk combo) and greens, then blend until smooth using a stick blender. The split peas will thicken a lot so add more water if you’d prefer a runnier soup.

Step 4.

Remove the soup from the heat and add the lime juice. Mix and serve right away with a slice of crusty bread and an optional chunk of young goat’s cheese plopped in the middle of the soup.