Fresh Pea Soup With Morels Food

FRESH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will take only 3 minutes.) Off the heat, add the mint, salt, and pepper.
• *Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place the lid on top, and puree on low speed. With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed. Whisk in the creme fraiche and chives and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with garlic croutons.

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.

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).

SPRING PEA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the scallions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes, then add the peas, stock and 1 cup of water. Bring to boil, then simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes to allow the peas to soften further.
• Using a jar blender, carefully puree the soup until smooth (see Cook's Note). Pour the soup back into the pot, then add the sour cream and honey, and gently warm for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Garnish the bottom of each serving bowl with the fresh pea slices and basil leaves. Ladle the soup on top and serve.

GRANDMA'S PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Cover peas with water and soak overnight. Drain, rinse and place in a Dutch oven. , Add ham bone, water and remaining soup ingredients except sausage and dumplings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 to 2-1/2 hours. , Remove ham bone and skim fat. Remove meat from bone; dice. Add ham and, if desired, sausage to pan. , For dumplings, place flour in a small bowl. Make a depression in the center of the flour; add egg and water and stir until smooth. , Place a colander with 3/16-in.-diameter holes over simmering soup; transfer dough to the colander and press through with a wooden spoon. Cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Freeze Option: Prepare soup without dumplings and freeze in serving-size portions to enjoy for months to come.

PASTA WITH MORELS, PEAS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Bring to a boil 2 pots of water, one small and one large, and salt both. Cook the peas for 1 minute in the small pot; drain and cool quickly by submerging in ice water.
• Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a skillet. Cut the morels into 4 pieces each, the long way, and brown them lightly in the butter, seasoning them with salt and pepper.
• Cook the pasta until it is nearly done. Just before draining, toss the peas and remaining butter with the morels and turn the heat to medium. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the morels and peas, adding a little water if necessary to make the mixture saucy. Toss with the Parmesan and lots of black pepper and serve immediately.

ALFRED PORTALE'S SPRING-PEA SOUP

Steps:

• To make the custard, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse morels well under cold water. In a medium saucepan, bring morels, cream and truffle oil to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 12 minutes.
• Purée the mixture in a blender. Whisk the purée into the yolks and stir in salt and white pepper.
• Place four lightly buttered two-ounce ramekins in a large baking dish. Pour the morel mixture into the ramekins. Add enough hot water to the baking dish to come 1/2 inch up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil and bake until the custards are set, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the water bath, run a paring knife around the edges of the ramekins and turn each custard upside down into the center of a soup bowl. If not serving immediately, cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• In a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and celery, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and add peas. When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until the peas are very tender. Remove from heat and season with salt and white pepper.
• Drain the peas, reserving the stock. Purée the vegetables in a blender, adding stock slowly. Place a large bowl in an ice bath, add the soup and stir. Season with salt, white pepper and sugar, and either serve at once or refrigerate.
• To serve, have the soup at room temperature or slightly warm. Spoon enough soup around each custard to come up 3/4 of the height of the custard. Drizzle each serving with white truffle oil and garnish with a chervil sprig.

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.

CREAM OF MOREL MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Chop morels finely. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
• Melt 1/3 of the butter in a pan and cook the onion and garlic in it until soft and yellow, but not brown.
• Add morels and cook until juices are absorbed by the mushrooms.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour then add hot stock, gradually, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
• Simmer 20 minutes.
• Add the mushroom mixture and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes.
• Correct seasonings. Take off heat and add cream. Serve hot.
• (from The Curious Morel, and Basically Morels).

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S FRESH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender.
• Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
• Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will take only 3 minutes.)
• Off the heat, add the salt, and pepper.
• *Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place the lid on top, and puree on low speed.
• With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full.
• Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed.
• Whisk in the creme fraiche and chives and taste for seasoning.
• Serve hot with garlic croutons.

MOREL MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Sprinkle mushrooms with lemon juice. In a saucepan, saute the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir well. Gradually add milk, bouillon, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; simmer for 10-15 minutes.

FRESH PEA SOUP WITH MORELS

Steps:

• Prepare the pea stock: Place the pea pods, mushroom trimmings, and mint stems in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Then immediately lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain the liquid through a sieve or colander, discarding the pods and trimmings. Set the stock aside.
• In a large, wide saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and gently saute until translucent, approximately 10 minutes. Add the garlic and peas, and saute for a couple more minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the sugar. Then add 2 cups of the pea stock and simmer until the peas are tender, about 10 minutes for young peas, 20 to 30 minutes for large starchy peas. Taste the peas after 10 minutes to test for tenderness.
• As soon as the peas are cooked, remove two thirds of the soup from the saucepan and puree it, in batches, in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return the puree to the pan and stir until well combined and heated through. Taste the soup, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Set the soup aside.
• Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat until it starts to sizzle. Add the morels, shallots, and thyme, and season generously with salt and pepper. Saute until the morels are golden brown and tender, approximately 10 minutes.
• Reheat the soup, and stir in the chopped mint. Divide the soup among warmed bowls. Top with a spoonful of creme fraiche and a scattering of sautéed morels.