By JEAN DOHERTY/LE PATIO
Iced Cream of Spring Pea Soup
jean’s kitchen
In early times, peas were grown mostly for their dry seeds. In modern times, however, peas are usually boiled or steamed, which breaks down the cell walls and makes the taste sweeter and the nutrients more bio-available. Along with broad beans and lentils, these formed an important part of the diet of most people in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe during the Middle Ages.
By the 17th and 18th centuries it had become popular to eat peas “green,” that is, while they are immature and right after they are picked. This was especially true in France and England, where the eating of green peas was said to be “both a fashion and a madness.” The popularity of green peas spread to North America. Thomas Jefferson grew more than 30 cultivars of peas on his estate. With the invention of canning and freezing of foods, green peas became available year-round, and not just in the spring as before.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs fresh or frozen garden peas
- A good dash of olive oil
- 1 pint chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Smoked bacon
- 6 mint leaves
DIRECTIONS
Heat up the olive oil in a pot. Add the peas and sweat them off, covered, for six minutes (save a good cup full for the garnish). Then, add the chicken stock and the cream, season and simmer for about 10 minutes. Blend and allow to cool a little before putting it into the refrigerator.
Pan fry or microwave the smoked bacon until it’s crispy. Set that aside on some kitchen paper. “Blanch” the rest of the peas (put them in a pot of boiling water for 15 seconds and then put them in a bowl of ice and cold water.) Finally, strain them when they are cold.
Just be fore serving, whiz your iced cold cream of pea
for a minute or so in your food processor and pour in into six martini glasses. Then, garnish with the blanched peas, crispy bacon and the finely chopped mint leaves.
This recipe offers a nice mixture of texture and taste. The velvety texture of the cream of pea soup, the crispy smoked bacon and the crunch of the whole peas give this soup a strong personality. It also looks so sexy in that martini glass!