Pea, parsley and spinach soup

I'm ripping off recipe books left right, and centre this week, it seems. Today it's the pea and parsley soup from the River Cottage Veg Every Day book. I made it thicker, upped the thyme, and added spinach. That's basically it, so if you've got the book, off you go.Still here? Fair enough. I wanted something thick and warming, and full of vegetables to help me get over a nasty cold, or at least make me feel better while doing so.Oxtail soup is my go-to soup of comfort, but it's also a massive faff to make if you're not feeling great. Whereas this is basically just boiling some stuff.

Ingredients:

• Peas, fresh or frozen, about 700g
• Flat leaf parsley
• Two medium onions
• Thyme
• Spinach
• Vegetable stock, I probably used about 800ml

Instructions:

Chop the onions and fry them off slowly until they soften and begin to colour a little. Wash the spinach and put to one side.When the onions are done, add the peas, herbs, stock, and most of the spinach, saving a handful or two to wilt in at the end for texture/novelty.Bring it back to a simmer and let it bubble for a few minutes until everything's thoroughly softened. Then let it cool and blitz it with some kind of blender. I use a stick one, but I doubt it matters.Bring it back to a simmer briefly, add the spinach and cook until it's wilted. Check the thickness - you may want to add water or slowly reduce some off. It's basically a preference thing. I like it thick.Let it cool when you're happy with it, and serve with bread.To be honest, you can skip the spinach. It adds an earthiness that cuts through the sweetness of the peas, but it won't be to all tastes. This is milder if you blend all the spinach in, or just use less than the giant bag I did. Otherwise, it's basically just pea puree with herbs, and tastes like it. It's hearty and filling, and reasonably quick to make.