“We are proud that our food is always made from fresh ingredients, never frozen,” the restaurant’s menu proudly proclaimed.
That’s great for those pro chefs who know how to hunt down amazing fresh produce in the dead of winter. For the rest of us, however, the produce section of the grocery store’s freezer aisle can be a lifesaver in the dead of winter. Especially when off-season, frozen vegetables (often harvested and frozen at their peak ripeness and freshness) can bring more flavor than “fresh” produce sitting in the grocery store for several days after being imported from thousands of miles away.
This vibrantly colored soup looks and tastes like spring thanks to two pounds of frozen peas. An added bonus? Unlike the caraway herb soup I posted about previously, this soup’s ingredient list is short and sweet, consisting mostly of pantry staples. The prepwork and cooking are quick, too, unless you decide to obtain and shell two pounds of fresh peas in place of using frozen ones. My original scribble from a few years ago simply lists the ingredients and then states: “Cook everything except mint and yogurt together. Once cool, puree with mint and yogurt.” And that pretty much sums it up.
I scribbled down this recipe ages ago, so I’m not sure exactly who inspired it, but I suspect that these two recipes from the New York Times and the James Beard Foundation come the closest.
Some notes on this recipe:
- Because there are so few ingredients in this soup, use quality frozen peas—try to obtain young/petite peas and don’t get the stuff on discount that’s freezer-burned and then thawed and re-frozen into a solid chunk. Trust me, the difference will be obvious in the taste and color of the soup.
- For the same reason, use good yogurt for better results. No low-fat stuff with extra fillers, etc. added—use yogurt made from just milk and cultures. If you’re using homemade yogurt, which might be more watery than the storebrought variety, consider reducing the amount of water by ½ to 1 cup.
- The amount of mint and tarragon to use is listed as a range because the quantity and quality of these herbs vary during the year, too. The lower end of that range, however, is a suggested minimum and still fairly subtle. For stronger flavors, increase the amount of herb used to the higher end of the range.
Pea Soup with Mint and Tarragon
Makes 6-8 servings, can be eaten warm or cold
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds frozen organic peas
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed in garlic press
- 1 to 2 tbsp fresh tarragon
- 2/3 to 1 cup fresh mint
- ½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
- ½ tbsp salt (can add more to taste)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cups water
- Heat olive oil in a large pot.
- Add garlic, sauté 1 minute, then add onions. Cook 5-7 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Once onions are cooked, add peas, water, salt, pepper, and tarragon. Bring to a simmer and cook until peas are soft. My peas were only partially thawed and this step took about ten minutes. If the peas are fresh or completely thawed, five minutes will probably do it.
- Turn off the heat and let the soup cool to a safe temperature. Don’t try to go to the next step without cooling, even if using an immersion blender, because the yogurt may cook/curdle if it’s too hot.
- In a blender, combine all ingredients (adding in the yogurt and mint) and puree.
And that’s it! Not too bad, right? Enjoy!