SPINACH AND GREEN SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH FENNEL SEEDS

Here’s my first entry for this month’s The Heart of the Matter; Joanna announced that the theme was going to be vegetables (well I did actually know this beforehand as we decide together), a theme that fits me like a hand in glove! And I hope you too accept the challenge to cook up delicious dishes with vegetables. There are almost no limit to what you can make, side dishes, soups, salads and dishes including lean meat and fish are also welcome. Just remember that it has to be heart healthy which means that you have to reduce animal fats and not use saturated fats! Take a look here if you are insecure.

I start with a very green vegetable soup that you can make all year round and as thick or thin as you feel like, I usually eat thinner soups in the summer so this recipe gives you the measures for that.

SPINACH AND GREEN SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH FENNEL SEEDS
2 servings

100g/ 3 1/2 oz green dried split peas
150 g/ 5 3/8 oz fresh spinach but you can use frozen, just reduce the amount a little.
1 tsp fennel seed powder
1 tsp whole fennel seeds
750 ml /3,2 cups light stock or water
Extra virgin olive oil

- Boil the dried split peas until they are really soft and drain them of their water.
- Braise them in a little olive oil together with the spinach until the latter has become soft, it takes just a few minutes.
- Add the fennel powder and the fennel seeds and the stock and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Use a blender or hand blender and blend it into a smooth cream. Check the salt and serve it topped with a little olive oil.

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