Two Peas in a Pot
I had just too few English peas left over from my sea green soup and needed to augment them to round out our dinner, so I thought to add some snow peas that I had on hand, as I had to the soup.I butter steamed them both and each was perfectly cooked in the same amount of time. The variety of size, fresh, fresh tastes and textures was really pretty jazzy.
Sometimes, the simplest solutions bring the most satisfaction.
posted by Zoomie at
7:12 AM
3 Comments:
Well, I say that is exactly how to eat!
(OMG, your post title!!!)
How about them peas, huh? I did a variation of this recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini: I didn't follow every step exactly but it still came out delicious. I added a nice chunk of sharp cheddar cheese for protein and didn't need anything more.
Chilled Pea Pod Soup
- olive oil
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- the pods from 1.2 kg (2.5 pounds) fresh green peas, stems removed, rinsed and drained (no need to thaw them if frozen)
- sea salt
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 liter (4 cups) quality stock, brought to a simmer
- freshly grated nutmeg (use a whole nutmeg and a small grater)
- freshly ground black pepper
- hot sauce, such as Tabasco sauce
- a few stems of fresh herbs, such as chervil, cilantro, dill, or chives
Serves 4 as a first course. (or one as a complete dinner)
Heat a little olive oil in a cast-iron or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, stirring regularly. Add the pea pods, season with salt, and cook for a few minutes, until the liquids have evaporated if the pods were frozen.
Deglaze with the white wine, and cook for a minute. Add the hot stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the pods are quite soft. Remove from the heat and let cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Put on an apron (I mean it; this can get messy). Using a blender or an immersion blender, whiz the soup in short pulses until all the pods are broken down into chunks. They will refuse to turn to a purée; the goal is simply to break their fibers so they'll be easier to strain.
Set a food mill (or a fine-mesh strainer) over a medium bowl and ladle a few spoonfuls of the soup into the mill (or strainer). Turn the handle of the mill (or press on the solids in the strainer with the back of a tablespoon) to strain out as much of the liquids as you can. Discard the solids (see note) and repeat with the rest of the soup, still working in batches.
Sprinkle the soup with a little nutmeg, stir, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate until well chilled. (To speed up the cooling, set the bowl in a larger bowl filled with cold water and a few ice cubes.)
Pour the soup in glasses, add freshly ground pepper, a dash of hot sauce, and a stem or two of fresh herbs, and serve with thick-cut fingers of levain bread.
Note: Rather than discard the solids right away, I prefer to reserve them in another bowl and strain them again after the first pass: I find I can usually strain out a little more liquid after giving them this short resting time.
Cookiecrumb, couldn't resist the title!
Nancy, all those ingredients sound delicious - thank you!
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