Pea Soup with Cheesy Potato Damper

Oh look, I am getting artistic with my photos!

You will need:

1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 carrots, chopped
500g split green peas

2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 litre vegetable stock (approx)

Juice from one lemon

Handful of mint leaves

Salt and pepper

Olive Oil

Rinse the split peas under cold running water and remove any discoloured ones.

Heat about two tablespoons of good olive oil in a big pot and add the onion and carrot. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and fry a minute longer. Add the stock and split peas and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas are soft and mushy (about an hour). Keep an eye on it and add more stock/water as needed.

Puree with a stick blender. Add lemon juice, mint leaves and plenty of salt and pepper. Give it another quick mix with the blender. And it's ready to serve with crusty bread.

Cheesy Potato Damper

This recipe isn't my own, it is from Basics to Brilliance: Potato Recipes by Murdoch Books.

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

30g melted butter

1 cup mashed potato

1/2 - 3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to moderate 180 degrees. Grease a 2ocm sandwich pan with melted butter and line with greaseproof paper. Sift flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Add butter, mashed potato, egg, milk and cheese and mix until well combined into a firm dough.

Place dough in pan and score wedge shapes into the top of the damper. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until hollow sounding when gently tapped. Turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.