Recipe: Fresh Pea Soup (blender)

FRESH PEA SOUP

"If you've never had a soup made of fresh peas, you're in for a treat. It doesn't get much more refreshing than this."

Coarse salt
3 pounds English peas, shelled*
1/2 head tender lettuce (Boston, Bibb, leaf), chopped
3 cups water
2 tablespoons shredded fresh mint

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of ice water.

Salt the boiling water very well, so it tastes like sea water, then add the peas and lettuce. Bring back to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Taste a pea: it should be heated through. Drain the peas and lettuce in a colander and then plunge the colander into the bowl of ice water to refresh the vegetables. Drain again.

Puree the peas and lettuce in 3 batches in a blender (you'll get a smoother soup in the blender than you will in a food processor), adding 1 cup of the water to each batch. Check for salt and stir in the mint.

You can serve this immediately, or chill it for later.

*Note:
This soup will be better made with English peas from the garden, but I have to tell you that frozen peas are pretty damn good here. As they always are.

You need 3 cups of frozen peas. Put them in a strainer and rinse under hot water until they are no longer cold. You will still need to blanch the lettuce for a minute. Once you've done that, start pureeing and finishing the recipe.

Serves 4
Source: Tasty: Get Great Food on the Table Every Day by Roy Finamore
Copyright 2006 by Roy Finamore. Reprinted by permission of Houghton
Mifflin Company.