After fasting for Yom Kippur, everyone has different after fast traditions. I have fond memories of watching my grandfather come home from synagogue, sitting down at the dining room table, having a cup of tea, then of all things a bagel and Schmaltz herring, in the similar vein my uncle used to break his fast with a cup of tea and a piece of sponge cake. When my son and I lived in Manchester, and he was very involved with Beni Akiva, it was our habit, to open our home after the fast for any one needed a place to go there were normally 12 people around the table. I would always make sure there was plenty of liquid as in water juices prepare a big pot soup, there would be home-made bread, dips, and cake spread across the table.
The soup would vary depending on what I had in the house and how much time I had, but this green pea leek soup was one of the most popular ones and the one that took the least time to make. It’s easy on the stomach, light and just what you need to restore the fluid balance in your body after fasting.
Ingredients serve 4
One large bag of frozen peas, I normally used the garden peas
Two onions chopped
One large leak, well washed and cut into slices
Three bricks of fresh mint, alternatively use a teaspoon of dried mint but it isn’t the same
One potato, medium size diced and putting cold water
The juice of half a lemon
1 L of vegetable stock
One clove of garlic
Dessert spoon of olive oil
2 or 3 desert spoons of plant cream for decor optional
Two slices of bread made into croutons for serving optional
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
Method
Put the olive oil in the bottom of a pot that’s large enough for all the vegetables.
Cook the onions, garlic, and leeks, until they are soft and translucent you do not want them to caramelise, this will take about 10 minutes, add in the potato which should be diced quite small, cook for a further two or three minutes before adding the peas, the mint, and the stock.
Bring to the boil, then very quickly lower the light so the soup is simmering for further 15 to 20 minutes.
Take take the soup off the heat, and with a stick blender blend it till it smooth and beautifully green, taste it again and adjust the seasoning, soups need salt and pepper.
This can be put in the freezer or in the fridge, and it can be heated up swiftly when people come through the door.
Serve with home-made croutons and if you like some frozen peas decorating the top along with a drizzle of plant cream.
Enjoy!