Green Pea Soup Recipe
A simple Indian-spiced green pea soup. You make a garlic ginger paste, then use it as the base of the soup along with some onion. Some green chile contributes some kick, along with other spices.
I wish I could tell you I made today's pea soup with fresh spring peas. I didn't. It was made with peas found in the back left-hand corner of my freezer. And, even so, it was good. I'm sure it would be exponentially good with fresh market peas. Here's how it works. You make an Indian-inspired garlic ginger paste, then use it as the base of the soup along with some onion. There's also some green chiles in there to contribute some kick, along with a couple other spices. The ingredient list is based on one from this book, but I went off-road beyond that, and turned it into a one-pot soup.
I held off writing about this until I was fairly confident it was a sure thing. And now that I'm sitting here amongst towers of boxes, I think it is safe to say...we're moving. Just up the street though! Nothing too dramatic. But yeah, it's a move. And let me tell you, I don't love moving. I've been happy to avoid doing it for seven? eight? years. But the prospect of a proper guest room, a bit more space to work, and extra, extra tall ceilings - all just a hop and skip from where we currently live (and love) - was too much to pass up. So, in addition to wrapping Champagne flutes one by one - and boxing up tights, toothbrushes, and tart pans - cleaning out the freezer was on my hit list. And that's where today's pea soup comes into play.
There are many things coming with me in the move. And many things that aren't :). I thought I'd share some pics of a few things I've come across that have made the cut. Up top, I love this antique cookie press that I purchased a while back at Heritage in Napa. And below that are some snapshots of my family, and my grandma's copy of The Joy of Cooking.
And Heather, this is a note for you - those little spoons up above were Metne's. It's hard to see, but they all have M, for Metlar, on them. I think they must have been part of her wedding silver? I wonder if mom is hiding the rest of the M's somewhere? And then below those are some H's and a small menagerie of cookie cutters.
I'm looking forward to doing some shooting in the new apartment soon - the light there is stunning - although it will be the first time I'll be shooting from a place where I suspect the morning light will trump late afternoon. Fingers crossed.
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Green Pea Soup Recipe
I had my heart set on topping this soup with little cubes of pan-fried paneer cheese. That said, paneer can be hard to come by, and I didn't have time for an extra stop at another store. I ended up making the cheese "croutons" from queso fresco instead - not as authentic, but still tasty! This soup can easily be made vegan by omitting the paneer, and using sunflower oil in place of the ghee.
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, well chopped
10 sm-med cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more to serve
3 tablespoons ghee or sunflower oil
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
4 1/2 cups good-tasting vegetable stock or water
3 1/2 cups / 500 g / 18 oz shelled fresh or frozen peas
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
8 fresh mint leaves, sliveredpan-fried paneed, queso fresco, or haloumi, cut into tiny cubes - optional
Use a food processor or hand blender {in a deep bowl) to puree the ginger, garlic, chiles, cumin and three tablespoons of water into a paste. You could also use a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the ghee. When hot, add the bay leaves and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the onion and cook for a few minutes, until it begins to take on a bit of color. At this point, stir in the garlic-ginger paste, and cook for another minute. Carefully add the stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Then add the peas. Simmer just until the peas are bright, and cooked through - just a couple minutes.
Remove from heat, fish out the bay leaves, add the salt, and puree well with a hand blender. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Also, if you need to thin out the soup at all, you can add more stock at this point. Serve hot topped with a bit of lemon juice, a pinch of cumin, mint leaves, and pan-fried paneer or cheese.
Serves 4 - 6.
Prep time: 7 minutes - Cook time: 10 minutes
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oh man, i hate moving! well, love and hate...hate the actual moving part but love redecorating a new space and making it mine :) this sound sounds absolutely amazing!
Green is my favorite color, and this soup is the most gorgeous shade! I love the Indian flavors used here; and shell peas will be making their appearance at our greenmarkets soon - a perfect opportunity to give this a try. Good luck with the move!
This is so my kind of soup. I might make it today itself.
Good luck with the move- this soup looks like the perfect way to use up extra food!
Wow! Beautiful!
Since I use my frozen peas as ice packs for running injuries .... I'll save this recipe for fresh spring peas from the farmers market! Thank you for sharing it with us!
I make a soup with a bag of frozen peas on my blog recently too. It is what it is. We're also in the process of moving. Countdown 19 days. I am moving to a place where we actually have light, unlike my current apartment. Or space for me to actually set up a photoshoot instead of half-assing it. Good luck packing.
Sorry, I'm hoping that did not come across as a criticism! It wasn't until I was pregnant and handling an entire box of those metal letters that somebody informed me that they could be lead! Ever since then, the darn things make me nervous!!
I love pea soup, and I look forward to trying your exciting recipe. I wanted to mention your collection of H's and cookie cutters. The metal H's look like they're from the typesetting collections used on old printing presses. Some of those may be lead. The photo is artistically beautiful, but I'd recommend not having those near your food or kitchen tools! Just a thought... Best wishes from germany, tj
This looks amazing! I've seen plenty of fresh 'springy' pea soups, but never with the spices this has! I'll bet it tastes fantastic - one to bookmark!
I`d like to try such a delicious-looking green soup!
Delicious! I love the colours of this soup and it's a great way to use up some leftovers lurking at the bottom of the freezer! Good luck with the move :)
I am starting to organise my next move as well and I already hate the idea of it. I will surely make this soup to finish the frozen peas as well. There is not one of your soups that I have not loved and prepared over and over so fat. Good luck with your move - I'll be thinking of you!
Good luck with the moving! I am hoping to be doing the same sometime soon. I've also been enjoying pea soup lately, interestingly peas grow in winter here in Sydney!
Definitely making this as soon as I find some peas - fresh or frozen! Yum! We're well into soup season here in NZ and this one's next. Good luck with the move!
Ooooh... moving. :( Icky packing but exciting new adventures! That said, I grew peas this year and loved them! Eaten plain off the vine they were a little bit like candy. Only a little bit though. Let's be real. They were still peas and did *not* count as my candy for the day. :)
I love, just love, that you have a copy of your grandma's "Joy of Cooking." What a treat and special bond. Good luck with the move, and thanks for this awesome, easy recipe. It looks lovely!
Oh wow what exciting news Heidi :-) All the best. I don't envy your packing! We still have a few boxes waiting to magically unpack themselves ;-) Xx
I'm moving too, Heidi! With a bigger kitchen (by Parisian apartment standards :) so I can make all of your recipes with more ease now can't wait! Will be making Moving Pea Soup in honor! Best of luck with your move, and keep the amazing recipes coming. I now own both cookbooks, but still need more! PS What would you serve this soup with? (And how do you feel about a huge glob of fresh French goat cheese from the market on top? :) Bisous from Paris! Rebecca
hello heidi - i don't eat pea soup that often, i must admit, but all the spicy additions sound as though they'll make the soup extra good, so i might have to try this to find that out. and good luck with your moving - packing and unpacking is pain in the back but your new place sounds like a wonderful one! can't wait to see your pictures from there. x
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