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Minted Spring Pea Soup with Sour Cream

Peas and mint are a traditional springtime duo. Here they are brought together with the slight tartness and rich body of sour cream. Minted Spring Pea Soup with Sour Cream.

Minted Spring Pea Soup with Sour Cream 

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 4Source Adapted from CIA GreystonePublished

You may use 2 ten ounce packages of frozen peas alternatively, thereby skipping the need to bundle up the pods for steeping.

Ingredients

  • 1 quart vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • .125 teaspoon white pepper
  • 10 mint leaves, minced, plus more left whole as garnish
  • 2 tablespoon flat-leafed parsley, minced
  • ⅓ cup sour cream
  • lemon wedges, optional
  • 1 cup spring onion, white & light green parts, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 pound english peas in the shells

Directions

Shell all the peas and put them in a bowl. Set aside. Coursely chop the about 2 cups of the pea pods. Then tie them up in a large double layer of cheese cloth. Form a pouch and tie it closed with kitchen twine. Set aside. 

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large deep skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, stirring occasionally until it is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the stock, reserved pea pod pouch, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring it to a simmer. Use a spoon to submerge the pea pod pouch. Let the mixture cook at a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Remove the pea pod pouch, carefully squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Discard.

Add the peas, chopped mint, and parsley to the stock and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Cook until the peas turn bright green, and are tender. No more than 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Place a fine-mesh over a large bowl. Pour the pureed soup into the sieve. Working in batches, use the back of a wooden spoon to push the liquid through the sieve and into the bowl. Discard solids as you work.

Once it has all been strained, wipe the original pan clean and pour the strained soup back into it. Gently rewarm the soup over medium-low heat. Add ⅓ cup sour cream and stir well to blend. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. You may also need to adjust consistency with a bit more stock.

Ladle to soup into small soup bowls. Garnish with more sour cream and a few mint leaves, Serve with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze into the soup to taste.

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