Very Very Green Green-Pea Soup
And may I add, Very Very Tasty?
2/26/07 A hazard of food writing, whether online or in print, is the constant hunt for new recipes, ones we're really proud of whether spectacularly simple or simply spectacular. Once a recipe is published in Kitchen Parade, it's rare for me to revisit it. But by five o'clock on Friday, the first Friday of Lent, the weather was miserable and my spirit not much better. Refrigerator leftovers didn't appeal; being newly committed to counting points (again), I nixed the temptation of a pizza delivery. Then magic struck, for all the ingredients for this simple soup from a 2004 column were already on hand: peas in the freezer, onion in the pantry, spices and oil in the cupboard, eggs in the frig. (Take stock: don't you have all the ingredients too?) Still, because our tastes and styles do change, I wondered, Could a soup this simple taste as good as I remember? It can! It did! The green color makes it perfect for St. Patrick's Day but it worked beautifully as a meatless supper for Lent too. And if you too are counting Weight Watchers points? That's supper in four points, a cup of soup and a poached egg. Now that's something to feel proud of.

In 1912, my London-born maternal grandfather emigrated to Canada. He arrived on St Patrick’s Day and some times I wonder what he might think of the rowdy revelries that headline festivities nearly a century later. He loved a party: he’d likely have thought he’d reached the Promised Land!

Grampa Shingleton was a foodie of the first sort, enjoying simple food cooked well and the pleasure of gathering ‘round the table with family and friends.

To delight kids and grown-ups alike, this week serve an All-Green St Patrick’s Supper that includes a Very Green Salad, spinach topped with green pepper and broccoli bits and, oh dear, green goddess dressing. Dessert? That would be Mean Green Gelatin, lime jello with green grapes.

ALANNA's TIPS For an elegant version of this soup, add a cup of light cream to the puréed soup and serve in small portions as a starter. In addition, if you can remove the skins – I use a metal, cone-shaped device my mother once used for tomato juice but a food mill may work – bypass the blender and strain instead. You’ll net only four cups of soup but the smooth creaminess will create a moment of sheer, if silent, appreciation.
Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food writer Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Have a favorite meal-of-color menu? Send to e-mail.

VERY VERY GREEN GREEN-PEA SOUP

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 6 cups
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 3 – 4 cups homemade or canned (2 14-ounce cans) chicken broth
  • 20 – 30 ounces frozen green peas
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a four-quart Dutch oven over medium high and melt butter. Add onion and ginger and sauté until soft. Stir in cardamom and let cook for a minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add peas and simmer, uncovered, until very tender, about 10 minutes. In batches, purée in blender until very smooth, about a minute per batch. (For safety with hot liquids, fill blender no more than half full.) Return soup to pan and season liberally with salt and pepper. Can be made ahead and refrigerated. Freezes well.

Serving Idea: Top each bowl with a soft-poached egg.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per cup: 151 Cal (16% from Fat, 22% from Protein, 62% from Carb); 9 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 25 g Carb; 8 g Fiber; 807 mg Sodium; 5 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 2 points

More Soup Recipes

Explore all the soup recipes. Others that feature a 'single' vegetable include: Karelian Borscht, which is pink with fresh beets; Summer's Tomato Soup, not your mother's can of tomato soup; or Easy-to-Elegant Asparagus Soup, perfect for spring asparagus.
LATER NOTES

• (2006) I've since learned that the metal, cone-shaped device I love (and that's mentioned above) is called a chinois and is available in good kitchen stores and online at Amazon.

Never miss a Kitchen Parade recipe: Sign up for an e-mail subscription.

© Copyright 2004 Kitchen Parade

March 19, 2004 printme Page Permalink |email E-Mail this Recipe



Your Comments:

A chinois, huh! I have my grandmothers- she used it to make apple butter and plum butter. How exciting to learn it has a name other than "That cone shaped thing of Gramma Cleo's"

The soup sounds interesting I'll have to try it. I've only made split pea soup, never green pea.
Willa

2/26/2007
Anonymous Willa on 7/21/2007
 
Willa ~ That's what I called my Mom's for the longest time, too! And I can't believe I tried to give it away, it's something I use ALL the time now.

3/05/2007
Blogger Alanna on 7/21/2007
 
I just made this tonight and it was fantastic! The kitchen I'm in didn't have cardomom so I used a clove of garlic and a bay leaf to add an extra oomph instead, and served it with a poached egg (less photogenic than
yours) and some wholemeal bread. A++ I'm keeping this recipe on hand for when I'm pantry-diving before payday!

3/12/2007
Anonymous ~ Melissa on 7/21/2007
 
 
 
Advertise Here