Minted Spring Pea Soup
Amanda Steen | Herald-Standard
Chef Mario Perroca prepares ingredients to make Minted Spring Pea Soup on the set of Just Cook It at Fourth Street Barbecue.
Amanda Steen | Herald-Standard
Ingredients for minted spring pea soup are displayed on the set of Just Cook It at Fourth Street Barbecue.
Amanda Steen | Herald-Standard
Minted spring pea soup simmers into a surprisingly delicious dish for your table.
Over the past month, my “Just Cook It” columns have been mostly about the spring season and the foods that are in season during the spring. Spring is a fantastic time of the year for food as fresh vegetation is beginning to appear along with the warmer weather.
Most ingredients are better when they are fresh. They’re more vibrant, more flavorful, and generally provide more nutrition as well. One of my favorite things about fresh foods in their peak season is that you don’t have to do a lot to them to make them taste great.
I’ve covered a lot about spring foods in my previous columns, and you can access all of them at HeraldStandard.com if you happened to miss one. Don’t forget to watch the video of me making the recipe listed at the bottom of this column at HeraldStandard.com as well.
This month’s recipe is actually quite surprising.
The recipe was actually created out of necessity, as I needed a spring themed soup recipe to prepare during a live demonstration. I created this recipe and, after testing it, thought it was surprisingly good for how simple it actually is.
I was still a bit nervous about making pea soup for a live demonstration. I wasn’t sure how well it would be received, and I can’t say that I blamed others for feeling that way. Until I created this recipe, all of my past personal experiences with pea soup were lacking to say the least. If I was skeptical before trying my own recipe, I knew that others would be too.
My objective with this soup quickly became to simply convince people to give it a try. So, I went into a live demonstration knowing that my recipes would be highly scrutinized based on the perception from the name of the first recipe I was making.
I wish I could tell you that I was wrong and that everyone was extremely excited to try my pea soup, but that is certainly not the case. I saw faces of disgust being made when people learned of my menu and people walking by actually made a few snide comments in passing.
I knew people wouldn’t be initially excited that I was making pea soup, but I didn’t realize they would actually be angry. After all, they were attending and sampling the dishes I was making for free.
As the story goes, I made my simple pea soup and did convince a few people to try it. Wouldn’t you know that once these people gave it a try they turned their attitude completely around and actually became my soups biggest advocates?
These skeptics turned believers began approaching other bystanders and began convincing them to try the soup as well. Surprisingly, it became one of the most popular recipes that I’ve made during live demonstrations.
Another quick story I’ll tell you before talking about the recipe – if you watch my videos at HeraldStandard.com (and I hope you do) you know that I don’t film them myself. I may be the talent, but the Herald Standard provides the crew and does the excellent production work. It’s a good thing because, while I can cook, editing video is something that should be left to the professionals.
The crew that filmed the video of me making my pea soup was initially disappointed. It’s all right, I’m used to it with this recipe. To make a long story short, I made the soup to their chagrin. After tasting it though, all of the soup I made quickly disappeared. Yes, they ate it all.
I have been using past stories to try to convince you, but I’ll just come out and say it – try this recipe! It’s extremely simple and extremely fresh and delicious. One taste and I believe you will make this your go to soup for the spring season.
When making the soup, I prefer to use fresh peas this time of year. If you are making a large batch for a large group you can always combine some fresh and some frozen peas to bulk up the recipe. If you are having trouble finding fresh peas, then you can make soup with frozen peas and it will still be delicious.
Please take note that in the recipe there are different times listed for when you are using fresh or frozen peas. Frozen peas are already cooked and shocked to preserve their bright green color.
Therefore, if they are cooked for a longer amount of time like the fresh peas, they will loose their bright green color and turn a not so glorious shade of army green. I have nothing against army green, it looks great in camouflage – I just don’t prefer my soup to be that color.
If you are combining fresh and frozen peas to make the soup, split the difference with the cooking time. The recipe says to cook fresh peas for five minutes and frozen peas for two minutes. If using a mixture of fresh and frozen peas, I would cook the peas for three to three and a half minutes so that everyone wins. Just be sure to watch their color closely as they cook.
Peas, like other green vegetables, get their green color from chlorophyll. When cooked, chlorophyll initially turns a bright vibrant green color and then if it continues cooking it will turn to a dull army green color.
That’s the reason blanching green vegetables and then immediately shocking them in ice water when they turn bright green is such a popular practice. If you immediately stop the cooking process when the color brightens you can preserve that vibrant color.
The addition of parsley to the soup also contributes to the green color. Parsley is a neutral flavored herb meaning that when it is added to a dish with a stronger flavored herb the stronger flavored herb will almost always win out and overpower the dish with it’s flavor.
In this soup the mint is the herb that overpowers the parsley. While the slight undertone of parsley adds a depth to the soup, the mint is definitely the assertive herb in the dish.
Mint and peas, as discussed in my earlier column, are a match made in heaven.
The flavor of the mint enhances the sweetness of the peas and it works beautifully on the palate.
One final note for this recipe – I actually prefer this soup chilled, but you can also serve it warm right after it is made. I will caution you though, once the soup is made and chilled DO NOT reheat it. Reheating will cause the color to turn from bright green to army green as explained above.
If you would like to serve and enjoy the soup warm, make it right before serving. If you would like to serve and enjoy the soup chilled then I would recommend making it a day in advance to allow the flavors to marry and intensify.
This simple soup really is one of my favorite spring recipes and I earnestly implore you to give it a try. It’s the epitome of what seasonal spring food should be – fresh, vibrant, simple, and delicious.
My wish for you is that you Just Cook It and get in the spring mood with my Minted Spring Pea Soup.
Mario J. Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, author, and the host of Just Cook It on WMBS Radio 590 AM.
He can be reached via his website at: www.JustCookIt.net. Twitter: @MarioPorreca
Minted spring pea soup
Yield: 8-10 servings
1 tablespoon butter
½ medium onion, rough chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
6 cups peas (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup fresh parsley
¼ cup mint
Sea salt to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
¼ cup crème fraiche or sour cream
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 radishes, demi-julienne – for garnish
Fresh snipped chives – for garnish
Procedure:
1. In a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat, add the butter and sweat the onions until they become translucent.
2. Add 2 cups of the vegetable stock to the pan with the onions and bring to a boil.
3. Add the peas to the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes if you are using fresh peas, and 2 minutes if you are using frozen peas.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the parsley, mint, and remaining 2 cups of stock.
5. Carefully puree the soup using either a blender or a stick blender until completely smooth. You may thin it out by adding a little additional stock at a time if it is too thick.
6. Season the soup to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
7. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the crème fraiche and heavy cream and serve passed with the soup.
8. Garnish each serving of soup with a few demi-julienne of radish and fresh snipped chives.