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Borage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup

21/06/2018 By The Seasonal Table 3 Comments

Borage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup | https://theseasonaltable.co.uk/savoury/borage-leaf-pea-and-garden-mint-soupThe borage pops up in the vegetable patch every year without fail. It would almost be considered a weed if the dark green leaves and starry flowers weren’t so welcome in our garden. We grew a few borage plants in a module tray in our first year here and planted them out in the corners of a raised bed of tomatoes and squash, where they acted as a pest-deterring companion plant and nectar source for the bees. They self-seeded prolifically, so the following year (and every year since) we have simply had to prick out and relocate the seedlings that appeared in the less suitable spots, leaving the others to grow on to full size.

At the start of the spring growing season, we eat some of very smallest and youngest borage leaves raw alongside wild rocket and lettuce. They have a pleasing, gentle cucumber flavour. On the downside they can be a little tough and, frankly, a lot hairier than is preferable in a salad leaf. As the plants get bigger, we harvest some of the larger leaves and introduce them to a little heat in the kitchen. The sturdy foliage responds well to a quick sauté in melted butter and some seasoning, and it works particularly well in soup.

Borage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup -- Honey bee on Borage | https://theseasonaltable.co.uk/savoury/borage-leaf-pea-and-garden-mint-soupThis borage leaf soup is a one we enjoyed on an early summer evening, after a day of eating the odd ice lolly and little else. Once the sultry warmth of the day had diminished, we gathered the ingredients we needed from the just-watered veg patch. A collection of fresh summer flavours for the pot: sweetness from peas (taken from the overgrown pods of a mange tout plant), freshness from a generous fistful of garden mint and spring onions, and a complimentary whisper of cucumber from the colander of borage leaves.

Borage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup -- Peas straight from the garden | https://theseasonaltable.co.uk/savoury/borage-leaf-pea-and-garden-mint-soupWe put a small pile of fried potato and pickled wild garlic flowers in the centre of the bowls and topped each one with a soft-poached hen egg. The soup was then gently poured around the potato island, and a handful of pea shoots, borage flowers, and raw peas were scattered over the top. A few flakes of sea salt, some black pepper, and a trickle of olive oil were added to finish.

We sat down to eat on the grass around an improvised pallet wood table in the dusky light, along with a loaf of crusty bread and a crisp bottle of white. The birds were running through their bedtime chorus of songs, the cows in the nearby field could be heard softly munching our hedgerow, and the summer flowers were gently blowing in the evening breeze. It was all rather idyllic, until one of the geese blew their nose in an unsupervised wine glass.

Borage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup -- Preparing the dish | https://theseasonaltable.co.uk/savoury/borage-leaf-pea-and-garden-mint-soup

Borage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup -- Borage recipes | https://theseasonaltable.co.uk/savoury/borage-leaf-pea-and-garden-mint-soup
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Borage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 125 g spring onions, roughly chopped
  • 200 g borage leaves, shredded into 1cm strips
  • 125 g fresh peas (reserve a few of the smallest for serving – see below)
  • 1 l chicken or vegetable stock
  • 4 large sprigs of fresh garden mint, leaves picked
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 6 tbsp fried potatoes with pickled wild garlic flower buds (to serve, optional)
  • 4 soft-poached chicken eggs (to serve, optional)
  • A small handful of borage flowers (to serve, optional)
  • A small handful of pea shoots (to serve, optional)
  • A few peas, raw and freshly podded (to serve, optional)
  • Extra virgin olive oil (to serve, optional)

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a large pot over a low heat and gently fry the spring onions for around five minutes until soft.

  2. Stir in the peas and cook for a further minute, then stir in the shredded borage leaves.

  3. Pour over the stock and turn up the heat to bring the pot to a gentle simmer (stirring occasionally to encourage the borage leaves to wilt and cook). Once the stock is bubbling, add the mint leaves and then continue to cook for around five minutes until everything is tender, but the flavours are still fresh. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then blitz the soup in a blender until smooth.

  4. Serve warm with crusty bread on the side. If you are serving the soup with the optional extra garnishes, start by putting a couple of large spoonfuls of the wild garlic flower potatoes in the bottom centre of each bowl; divide the soup between the bowls, gently pouring it around the potato 'islands'; put the poached eggs on top of the potatoes; and scatter over the raw peas, borage flowers, and pea shoots; then add a little more sea salt, black pepper and a trickle of olive oil to finish.


 

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Filed Under: Savoury Tagged With: Borage, mint, Peas, soup, spring onions, Summer, wild garlic, wild harvested

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  1. 13 superb soup recipes | Blog at Thompson & Morgan says:
    09/10/2019 at 1:59 pm

    […] Image: The Seasonal Table […]

    Reply
  2. Borage; perennial herb not a Russian mob boss – Chronicles of Thyme says:
    07/10/2020 at 1:29 pm

    […] Steamed Fish with Cucumber, Borage and Tahini Sauce – Martha StewartBorage and Ricotta Crepes – Emiko DaviesAlmond Fairy Cakes with Candied Borage Flowers – Love and Olive OilBorage Leaf, Pea and Garden Mint Soup – The Seasonal Table […]

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  3. 15 Ways to Use Borage says:
    05/04/2021 at 10:31 am

    […] you loved the first borage soup but want to make it a bit fancier, the recipe for borage leaf, pea, and garden mint soup is everything. The borage gives the hint of a cucumber flavor that works well with peas and […]

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Rhubarb soda in the orchard. Our quick recipe for Rhubarb soda in the orchard. Our quick recipe for this sparkling spring thirst quencher is in the latest issue of the very lovely @simplethingsmag along with a few of our other favourite April-time recipes if you fancy a read. It’s also up on the magazine’s blog (link in our stories). Wishing you all a very happy (hopefully rhubarb-soda-ry) last day of the Easter weekend.
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#rhubarb #rhubarbrecipes #vegetablepatch #seasonspoetry #smallholding #countrysidelife #organicgardening #seasonalsimplicity #homestead #homesteading #selfsufficiency  #organic #countryliving #thegoodlife #spring #smallholdinguk #homestead #rurallife
The vegetable patch clouded by the mist that desce The vegetable patch clouded by the mist that descends so often at this time of year. Though many of the raised beds are empty now, there are a few winter crops to collect: various wonky brassicas, carrots, winter salad leaves, leeks and chard. Hopefully enough to keep us going until spring.
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#vegetablepatch #seasonspoetry #seasonalshift #smallholding #countrysidelife #organicgardening #seasonalsimplicity #homestead #homesteading #selfsufficiency  #organic #countryliving #thegoodlife #winter #smallholdinguk #homestead #rurallife
Stockings hung by the cosy glow of the fire and en Stockings hung by the cosy glow of the fire and enough wood stacked up to keep the flames going through to Christmas Day. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas!
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#handmadchristmas #firewood #woodisgood #christmasdecorations #christmasinthecountry #christmasdecor #naturalchristmas #seasonspoetry #seasonalshift #smallholding #countrysidelife #organicgardening #seasonalsimplicity #selfsufficiency  #organic #countryliving #thegoodlife #winter #smallholdinguk #homestead #rurallife
For our first Christmas on the smallholding, we cu For our first Christmas on the smallholding, we cut a handful of lime-green and red willow stems from the shrubs that grow at the waterlogged edges of the stream and twisted them into a rustic wreath. It has decorated our front door every December since, its bright colours now faded to plum and ochre, fresh seasonal foliage tucked amongst the tangle of twigs. Our favourite adornments include a base of waxy evergreen leaves like holly (with berries), sprays of conifer with tiny pinecones clinging to their tips, and twists of ivy; we add extra texture with dried seed heads (silvery sea holly is our usual choice)and foraged pinecones; plus flashes of festive colour from late rosehips and short stems of pyracantha berries. Hanging the wreath on the front door, exposed to the winter air and occasional rain, keeps the foliage looking fresh, so it lasts happily until twelfth night.
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#handmadchristmas #christmaswreath #christmasdecorations #christmasinthecountry #christmasdecor #naturalchristmas #seasonspoetry #seasonalshift #smallholding #countrysidelife #organicgardening #seasonalsimplicity #selfsufficiency  #organic #countryliving #thegoodlife #winter #smallholdinguk #homestead #rurallife
A couple of homemade decorations for the Christmas A couple of homemade decorations for the Christmas table: candles and garlands. 
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We make very simple garlands from garden twine, foraged pinecones (collected back in the summer), and walnuts (gathered in autumn from our neighbour’s tree) painted silver and gold, to hang from the ceiling corners and twirl along the centre of the dining table.
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And we drill a few holes in some chunks of wood from the log store to make rustic holders for a hotchpotch of beeswax candles. They bring a cosy, honey-scented glow to the table.
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#handmadchristmas #christmasdecorations #christmasinthecountry #christmasdecor #naturalchristmas #seasonspoetry #seasonalshift #smallholding #countrysidelife #organicgardening #seasonalsimplicity #selfsufficiency  #organic #countryliving #thegoodlife #winter #smallholdinguk #homestead #rurallife
Holly and ivy are fantastic festive fodder for our Holly and ivy are fantastic festive fodder for our sheep during the winter months when the grass growth is little. We often gather small branches of the soft holly leaves that grow higher up the trees (where they are usually out of reach of hungry animals and don’t feel the need to prickle up) and pull up tangles of deep green ivy from an overgrown bank for the flock to munch as a fresh treat alongside their daily ration of hay.
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This pic was taken for our latest feature in the Christmas issue of the wonderful @simplethingsmag. It’s out now if you fancy a read. 
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#shetlandsheep #seasonspoetry #seasonalshift #smallholding #countrysidelife #organicgardening #seasonalsimplicity #selfsufficiency  #organic #countryliving #thegoodlife #winter #smallholdinguk #homestead #rurallife
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