Serves 4 to 6 as a first course
This pale green froth of a soup is the essence of fresh peas. Peas can travel
in every flavor direction imaginable, but this soup needs nothing, although
a few drops of truffle oil are intriguing. Plan to make it just before you serve
it, unless you want to serve it chilled. The light, fragrant stock is made while
you shuck the peas, and cooking time for the soup is about 4 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch scallions or 2 small leeks, including 2 inches of the greens, thinly
sliced
- 5 large parsley stems, with leaves
- salt and white pepper
- 1½ pounds English pod peas, bright green and moist looking
- 1-teaspoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup thinly sliced fresh onions or young leeks
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- truffle oil, a few drops per bowl
Procedure
- Bring 1 quart water to a boil. As it’s heating, add the scallions,
parsley, and ½- teaspoon salt. Add about 3 cups of pea pods as you shell
them. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes,
then strain.
- Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the sliced onion. Cook over medium
heat for about a minute, then add ½-cup of the stock so that the onions
stew without browning. After 4 to 5 minutes, add the peas, ½-teaspoon
salt and the sugar. Pour in 2½ cups of the stock, bring to a boil, and
simmer for 3 minutes.
- Transfer the soup to a blender. Drape a towel over the lid, and give a few
short pulses to make sure it won’t splatter. Then puree at high speed
for 1 minute. Pour into small soup bowls and serve immediately, adding a few
drops of truffle oil to each bowl.
