SERVES 4
300g • 11oz finger-thick or sprue asparagus
5 tbsp good olive oil
5 shallots peeled halved and thinly sliced
1 celery heart trimmed and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
sea salt and black pepper
300g • 11oz shelled peas
900ml • 1½ pt chicken stock
20g • ¾ oz mint leaves
OPTIONAL FINISHES
olive oil for drizzling
extra small mint leaves for decoration
freshly grated parmesan
Trim and thickly slice the asparagus (discard the trimmings at the point where the stems become visibly tough and peel thicker stems as necessary). Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the shallots, celery and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and relaxed, stirring frequently. Add the asparagus, season and cook for 3-4 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until glossy, then stir in the peas. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Whiz the soup with the mint in batches in a food processor until smooth with a little texture. Taste for seasoning and if necessary reheat, then serve with a drizzle of oil, a few tiny mint leaves in the centre and grated parmesan if wished. You can also shave curls of raw asparagus for decoration.