Fresh Pea Soup With Mint Food

FRESH PEA AND MINT SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add peas and stir 1 minute. Add 5 1/2 cups broth and bring to simmer. Cook until peas are very tender, about 8 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Puree soup and 1/4 cup chopped mint in batches in blender until smooth. Return to same pot; thin with more broth by 1/4 cupfuls, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.
• Rewarm soup over medium-low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls; garnish with additional mint.
• What to drink:
• A bottle of bubbly is the perfect way to begin this special meal. It's also a great pairing for the soup. We like the crisp acidity and long finish of the Champagne Henriot NV Brut Souverain ($35, France).

PEA AND MINT SOUP

Steps:

• Dice the onion. Warm a pot/pan over a medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for around 3-4 minutes until the onion is softened and translucent but not browning.
• Add the peas, stir to coat in the butter, then add the stock. Cover the pot with a lid and bring the mixture to a simmer. If using frozen peas, they will only need to cook around 2 minutes, if they are fresh it will be nearer 5-7 minutes. In both cases, the peas should stay bright green but be cooked.
• Remove the pot from the heat and add the roughly chopped mint. Either use a stick/hand blender or transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste (I only needed around 1/8tsp of each).
• Serve either warm or allow to cool and chill to serve cold. In both cases, works well with a swirl of creme fraiche in the middle of the bowl.

GREEN PEA AND MINT SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat. Add the 4 chopped green onions, and cook until softened, but not brown. Stir in the peas, vegetable stock, and 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint. Increase heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat back to low, cover, and let simmer for about 30 minutes. If you are using frozen peas, 15 minutes is enough.
• Using a large slotted spoon, remove about 3 tablespoons of the peas, and set aside for garnish. Pour the soup into a blender or food processor along with the milk, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Throw in a pinch of sugar if desired. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
• Pour the soup into 4 serving bowls. Swirl 1 tablespoon of light cream into each one, then garnish with reserved peas and sprigs of mint.

FRESH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in the water and peas, season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, 12 to 18 minutes.
• Puree the peas in a blender or food processor in batches. Strain back into the saucepan, stir in the cream if using, and reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

PEAS SOUP WITH MINT

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute' for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
• Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
• Then add the peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes (no longer, or you will lose the fresh flavour and beautiful colour of the peas).
• Turn off the heat, season with salt, pepper, add the fresh mint leaves, and let it cool for a few minutes.
• Then, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary. (Do not fill past the maximum fill line or the soup could overflow!). If the soup is too thick for you, you can add some broth or water to thin it out until you have a consistency you like.
• Taste, make sure you're happy with the seasoning, and serve with black pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some parmesan cheese or crumbled feta if you wish.

PEA & MINT SOUP

Steps:

• Put the spring onions into a large pan with the potato, garlic and stock. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potato is very soft. For the garnish, blanch 3 tbsp of the shelled peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain, put in a bowl of cold water and set aside. Add the remaining peas to the soup base and simmer for 5 minutes - no longer, or you will lose the lovely fresh flavour of the peas.
• Stir in the mint, sugar and lemon or lime juice, cool slightly then pour into a food processor or liquidiser and whizz until as smooth as you like. Stir in half the buttermilk or soured cream, taste and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve the soup cold, cool quickly, then chill - you may need to add more stock to the soup before serving as it will thicken as it cools. To serve hot, return the soup to the rinsed-out pan and reheat without boiling (to prevent the buttermilk or soured cream from curdling).
• Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the remaining buttermilk and the drained peas.

CREAM OF GREEN PEA SOUP WITH FRESH MINT

Steps:

• Saute onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes until vegetables soften.
• Add frozen peas, lettuce and broth. Heat until very hot but not boiling, then add milk, reduce heat and simmer covered 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, transfer the soup mixture into a blender (or use an immersion blender), add the mint and parsley and process until smooth.
• Stir in the salt and white pepper, nutmeg, sour cream and butter. Blend soup mixture well by hand. Heat through and serve with a smile.

CHILLED PEA SOUP WITH FRESH MINT

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook the leek in the butter over moderate heat for 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the broth, peas and seasonings and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, or until the peas are very tender. In a food processor, blend the mixture in batches until combined well. Let it cool. Chill the soup, covered, for at least 2 hours. Before serving stir in cream and fresh mint. Garnish with mint sprigs. Correct the seasoning.

FRESH PEA SOUP WITH MINT

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in large kettle over medium heat. Add onions, salt, and pepper, and cook 5 minutes until onions have softened. Sir in the garlic and cook 1 minute until its aroma is released. Add the potatoes and saute 5 minutes until they begin to color. Add the chicken stock, lower the heat, and simmer gently 25 minutes until potatoes are soft. Add the peas and cook 3 minutes until tender but still bright green. Puree the mixture either through a food mill, with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, until smooth. Place in a clean pot, stir in the cream, and rewarm gently. Stir in the fresh mint and serve.
• In Portugal, this soup is often made with fresh fava beans. Use them if you can find them. Mint (horteln) grows abundantly in Portugal and is widely used in savory dishes, frequently in combination with coriander (coentro).

FRESH PEA SOUP WITH MINT

Steps:

• In a large pot or dutch oven heat oil over medium-high heat. Add scallions, celery, and onions, stir until vegetables are wilted, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add broth and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and add peas, simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and carefully transfer to bowl of food processor or blender, do this in batches if necessary. Add mint, season to taste with salt and black pepper and puree until smooth. Chill for 1 hour and serve with yogurt in center and garnished with mint leaves and a peapod if desired.

MINTY PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and bring to a boil. Add peas, reduce heat, and simmer gently until tender, about 5 minutes for fresh peas, about 2 minutes for frozen.
• Remove pot from heat. Add parsley, mint, and remaining 2 cups broth to pot. Purée soup in a blender or with an immersion blender, thinning with water if soup is too thick, until smooth. Season soup with salt and pepper.
• Whisk crème fraîche and cream in a small bowl to blend. Serve warm soup topped with chives, passing crème fraîche mixture alongside for spooning over.