#dried basil

Fragrant with basil and bright with lemon, this Spring Pea Soup celebrates the season's first leaves of flavourful herbs whilst still nicely warming on chillier nights! Happy Monday!

Ingredients (serves 3):

3 cups frozen green peas

a small onion

a large garlic clove

1 heaped teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

a large, ripe lemon

1 litre/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

half a dozen leaves Garden Basil 

Spoon frozen green peas into a large pot.

Peel onion and cut it into quarters. Add onion quarters to the pot.

Peel and halve garlic clove. Add to the pot as well, along with coarse sea salt and dried basil.

Cut lemon in half, and add lemon halves to the pot. Stir in water.

Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover with the lid, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, about 20 minutes.

When the peas are tender, remove from the heat. Discard lemon halves, after squeezing every last bit of their juice into the pot.

Season with black pepper, and tear in Garden Basil leaves.

With a hand-held blender, process until just smooth.

Return over a medium flame, to warm.

Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Fragrant and generous like the last of the Summer's harvest in the Kitchen Garden, this tasty Garden Tomato Soup with Dumplings is another very comforting recipe, especially on a chill and rainy night!

Ingredients (serves 3):

2 tablespoons Chili and Herb Oil 

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 fluffy sprig Garden Rosemary 

about 860 grams/1.90 pound vey ripe and juicy Garden Marmande Tomatoes, rinsed

1 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes 

1 tablespoon Modena Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 heaped teaspoon Dried Basil 

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup water

In a large pot over a medium flame, heat Chili and Herb Oil.

Add minced garlic, and fry 1 minute.

Tear Rosemary Sprig in half and add to the pot. Fry, a minute more.

Roughly chop Marmande Tomatoes, and add them, allong with all their juice, to the pot. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes, until they start collapsing.

Season with fleur de sel, black pepper, and Red Chili Flakes. Bring to the boil. Once boiling, stir in Balsamic Vinegar and caster sugar, and reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhille, prepare dumplings. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, Dried Basil and salt. Then, gradually stir in water (you may not need all of it) until you have a smooth batter.

Spoon heaped tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into the pot. You should have about 6. Cover with the lid, and cook, a further 10 minutes, flipping dumplings half-way through.