Soup is one of my favorite weekday lunches, and this one is quick and nutritious. I buy ham from the deli because you can have it cut thickly and it has a good flavor, or use leftover roast ham.
Serves 4
4 tbsp (50 g) butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 stalk of celery, coarsely chopped
3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock
1 lb 2 oz (500 g) frozen peas
2 tbsp snipped fresh chives
7 oz (200 g) roast ham off the bone, excess fat removed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the croûtes
2 tbsp (scant 1 oz) butter (room temperature)
11⁄2 tsp Dijon mustard
16 slices from a baguette loaf, cut about 1⁄2in (1cm) thick
1. Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onion and celery and fry for 8–10 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until softened but not browned. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil over a high heat. Stir in the peas and quickly bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes or until they are just cooked (see Bright green color).
2. Using a blender or food processor, purée the soup with the chives until smooth. Return the soup to the pan.
3. Shred the ham into small pieces (see Bite-sized pieces of ham) and drop it into the soup. Set aside.
4. Make the croûtes: preheat the broiler to its highest setting. Beat the butter and mustard together with a palette knife or spoon. Lay the baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast on both sides under the broiler until golden. Spread the mustard butter on one side of each slice of toasted bread. (See Crispy croûtes.)
5. Reheat the soup briefly over low heat. Season with salt and pepper, then serve with the mustard croûtes on the side.
PEA AND HAM SOUP WITH MUSTARD CROÛTES
KEYS TO PERFECTION
Bright green color
Add the peas to the boiling stock and start to time the cooking once it returns to a boil. Fast cooking makes the peas soft enough to purée easily without losing color.
Bite-sized pieces of ham
You are aiming for bite-sized pieces of ham for this soup. Use two forks to shred the meat—one to hold the ham steady and the other to pull it apart.
Crispy croûtes
Watch the slices of bread carefully during broiling to make sure they don’t burn. Spread the mustard butter on the bread while it’s still slightly warm, so it soaks in.