4.18.2009

Spring Pea Soup



So here's a little shopping tip for you when making this soup...apparently those huge pea pods that spring peas come in, only house 8-10 small peas. Ya, I know, news to me. So when you are buying the peas and you fill up a bag thinking, "oh this is definitely enough", it's not. Grab another huge handful, and then head over to the freezer section and get a bag of frozen peas (yes, I said FROZEN) just to be sure. Trust me, you won't be sorry. This soup is super-simple, delicious and a fabulous way to enjoy spring peas during their short season (just look at that color!). So don't miss out by your lack of judgement—those peas can be deceiving!



Spring Pea Soup
serves 4 as an appetizer

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 c vegetable broth
2 c fresh green peas (or frozen)
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stocks, chopped
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T fresh mint leaves
2 T cilantro leaves



In a large pan, heat olive oil and add onion. Sauté 5 minutes, until onion has softened and begins to brown. Add vegetable broth, peas, carrots and celery, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and add salt, pepper, mint and cilantro. Cook 5 minutes, until heated through. With a hand blender, blend until combined but slightly chunky (this can also be done in two batches with a regular blender). Ladle soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of black pepper. Homemade croutons, broiled with olive oil, salt and pepper, provide an excellent crunch.

17 comments:

Marie said...

Mmm sounds lovely, you've inspired me to cook yummy green soup now. Thanks!

melinda said...

your pictures alone make me want to make & eat these dishes.

Sonia said...

Wow - your blog recipes (the few that I have sifted through in the last 10 minutes) look fabulous! I found you from Heidi's site, and I just saved you in my Favourites :-)

...and your photographs are fantastic!

Susannah said...

oh, what a lovely blog you have here! i'm definitely going to be making this soup - yum!

(and yes, do join us in July! :)

Ann Marie said...

You have a wonderful blog! I'm a vegetarian who is going mostly vegan, so your sight is perfect for me. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Glad to have met you through BYW class.

Merissa Revestir said...

Yay! This is a great blog! It'll soon be a year since I've been a vegetarian and I'm excited to see that there's another vegetarian in Holly's class too!

lisa :: the red thread said...

Love your blog - I came by via Holly's class too. Yum! I've bookmarked you and will keep returning for inspiration, even though our seasons in Australia are opposite to yours.

CoCo said...

Thanks for the note! I just love your site too and I will definitely add it to my daily reads. That picture with the peas in the pod is amazing! I look forward to keepin up with fresh365 :)

Rachel B said...

that may be the most beautiful shot of a pea pod in history.

fresh365 said...

Thanks everyone for the kind words! Hope you enjoy this soup!

Christina said...

Do you have any suggestions for what else I could use instead of vegetable broth, for this soup or just in general? I don't know why, I just don't like the flavor of vegetable broth. Usually, I'll substitute water and kick up the spices a bit instead. But if you have any better ideas, I would love to hear them!

fresh365 said...

Hi Christina- I often substitute water when I run out of vegi broth. Make sure to add salt though. I'd start w/1 teaspoon and taste from there. The only other thing I could think of would be a vegi bouillon cube or juice (v8 makes a few varieties), but they make have a taste you don't like as well. If anyone else has suggestions, please chime in!

Amisha said...

You made my day! I had been looking for a good pea soup recipe.
Thanks and your pictures make me hungry, very hungry, in fact :-).

nithya at hungrydesi said...

Just found your blog from the kitchn...this looks great. love that your recipes are all vegetarian!

Amisha said...

Hi Erin,
I made the soup today and it was awesome!
If you still have your pastel reworking of the Mary Cassatt, would you like to share?

fresh365 said...

Amisha- I wish I had held onto it, but sadly it is long gone in one of my cleaning fits!

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