Early English Pea Soup

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Early English Pea Soup

 

Recipe By : Beans Greens and Sweet Georgia Peaches by Damon Lee Fowler

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Sda-Veg-Recipes2 (AT) Egroups (DOT) Com Soups & Stews

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 quart broth (recipe says chicken)

3 cups shelled young green peas -- with hulls reserved

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup onion -- chopped

1 leek, washed, trimmed and chopped

4 large sprigs fresh mint

1 1/4 cups heavy cream (minimum 36 % milkfat)

Salt and whole white peppercorns in -- a peppermill

A dozen or so chive leaves -- chopped

 

Put the broth and the reserved pea hulls in a 2-quart kettle and place it over

medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, skim it carefully, and reduce the heat to

a bare simmer. Cover loosely and let the broth simmer for about ½ hour.

 

Put the butter, onion, and leeks in a kettle large enough to hold all the

ingredients, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook slowly until softened but not

browned, about 10 minutes.

 

Strain the broth from the hulls and add it to the kettle with the onion and

leeks. Discard the hulls. Let the broth come to a boil, add the peas and 2

sprigs of the mint, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the peas are

tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Dip out a cup of the peas and set them aside. Puree the soup in a blander or

food processor. Return the puree to the pot, stir in the reserved peas, 1 cup of

the cream, and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Continue cooking just

long enough to heat the cream through. While the soup is heating, whip the

remaining ¼ cup cream until stiff and chop the remaining mint together with the

chives.

 

When the soup is heated through, turn off the heat, remove the mint sprig, and

serve at once, garnishing each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and a

sprinkling of the chopped herbs.

 

Sugar Snap Pea Soup: If you can't get fresh young peas still in their shells,

you can make a very nice soup with sugar snap peas, which are becoming

commonplace in many markets. You'll need 1 ½ pounds of sugar snaps. Top and tail

them and be sure that all their strings have been stripped away. Slice them

crosswise about ¼ inch thick. Omit step 1. Set aside a cup of the peas and

proceed as directed in step 2. In step 3, the sugar snaps will be tender in

about 10 minutes. After the soup is pureed, add the reserved peas and cook until

they are just tender, about 4 minutes.

 

 

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NOTES : This soup is equally good served hot or chilled. To chill it, put the

kettle in a basin of ice water and stir until the soup is cooled, then chill it

in the refrigerator. Don't cover the soup until it is cold, otherwise you are

inviting spoilage. The soup will be thicker cold than hot. If you find it is too

thick, thin it with a little water or half and half, but don't add more broth or

heavy cream.