Our 3 year-old back up chest freezer gave up the ghost and died today. It’s an irritation. Not entirely because the thing stopped working… things happen. It is because
A.) It wasn’t that old. and,
B.) I have to replace it with another like kind of inexpensive machinery. and,
C.) I have to go through all the stored bits and bags of veg, meat, stock bones, Parmesan rind, citrus zest, extra egg whites – and the like… and decide what I’m going to keep and what to trash. and then,
D.) Do the same thing in the Main Freezer to make room for everything I can’t live without.
I had 6 packages of frozen Green Peas in the freezer….. I don’t know why. Since I wasn’t going to throw them away… and I really needed that real estate in the working freezer for a large hen I bought on special (I wasn’t about to trash perfectly good protein, either), I figured it was time for some Spring Pea Soup
When I was a kid, The Magic Pan restaurants carried a Potage St Germain, which was basically a super thick split pea soup. You could get it with either a dollop of sour cream on top – or a little shot of sherry to swirl into the green goodness. I always opted for the sherry.
I figured I could whirl all the peas up and come up with a pretty close facsimile. Just so you know, I’ve made the soup Lactose Free, but don’t feel obligated to do the same. If you aren’t shy about your dairy, use sweet cream butter and regular half & half.
Whirled Peas Soup
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 16 minutes |
| Total time | 21 minutes |
| Meal type | Soup |
| Misc | Freezable, Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 3 cups Frozen Green Early Peas (Divided)
- 1/4 cup Chopped Onion
- 1/4 cup Chopped Celery
- 1/4 cup Chopped Carrot
- 1 clove Garlic (Minced)
- 1 leaf Bay Leaf
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 1 cup Half & Half (Lactose Free)
- 1 tablespoon Cultured Butter (Lactose Free)
- 1/4 cup Sherry
- 2 teaspoons AP Flour
Tools of the Trade
- 1 Stick Blender
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Food Processor
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Melt the butter in the sauce pan over medium heat. Add the bay, carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saute until the carrots are tender (about 5 minutes) | |
| Step 2 | |
| Add the flour, stirring constantly, and cook the veg and flour for a minute to make a light roux. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Add the Stock, 1/2 of the peas, and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Puree the soup base with the stick blender until smooth | |
| Step 4 | |
| In the processor, puree the remaining peas. Add the peas and the half & half to the soup base and whisk together | |
| Step 5 | |
| Add the sherry, reduce to low and simmer for 5 more minutes, or until the soup is thick enough to coat the bowl of a spoon. | |
