Cold Pea Soup Recipes

FRESH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will take only 3 minutes.) Off the heat, add the mint, salt, and pepper.
• *Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place the lid on top, and puree on low speed. With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full. Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed. Whisk in the creme fraiche and chives and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with garlic croutons.

COLD PEA SOUP WITH HERBED OIL SWIRL

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 cups water, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Add peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and stir in yogurt. Purée soup in a blender or in the pot using an immersion blender, thinning with water if soup is too thick, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a resealable container, cover, and chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Divide soup among bowls and top each with a swirl of Herbed Olive Oil.
• Do Ahead
• The soup can be made and chilled for up to 2 days.

CHILLED PEA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in the peas, broth, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Place half of the mixture at a time in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Return all to the blender. Add yogurt; puree until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CHILLED PEA-MINT SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the buttermilk to a simmer and add 4 cups of peas and a large pinch of salt. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring often so that the buttermilk does not boil over. The peas should not be fully cooked and still have a slight bite to them.
• Transfer the peas and liquid immediately to a blender with the mint leaves and, starting on low speed, carefully blend (holding the lid on firmly with a dishcloth), working up to high speed for 60 seconds.
• In order to preserve the vibrant color and flavor of the peas, the soup must be cooled immediately. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then rest the bowl inside a larger bowl full of ice water. Stir continuously until cool, tasting occasionally; you will notice that the soup becomes sweeter as it cools. Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until cold.
• To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with fresh peas and freshly ground black pepper.

EASY PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Place a saucepan over medium-low heat, and add oil and scallions. Stir until heated, then add frozen peas. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
• Add 3 cups boiling water and stock concentrate to taste. Cover, and cook at a lively simmer until peas are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool until no longer steaming.
• Transfer soup to a blender. Add cheese, and purée until mixture is very smooth. Serve immediately or, if desired, reheat to taste.

MINTY PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and bring to a boil. Add peas, reduce heat, and simmer gently until tender, about 5 minutes for fresh peas, about 2 minutes for frozen.
• Remove pot from heat. Add parsley, mint, and remaining 2 cups broth to pot. Purée soup in a blender or with an immersion blender, thinning with water if soup is too thick, until smooth. Season soup with salt and pepper.
• Whisk crème fraîche and cream in a small bowl to blend. Serve warm soup topped with chives, passing crème fraîche mixture alongside for spooning over.

MEXICAN COLD PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Puree peas in a food processor or blender, constantly scraping down the sides. If peas are too dry, add a little of the lime juice.
• Add remaining lime juice, yogurt, olive oil, garlic, and chili powder. Blend until liquefied. Pour into a large bowl; add ice water and salt and stir to incorporate. Refrigerate until flavors combine, at least 4 to 6 hours.
• Garnish each serving with red pepper, tomato, and jalapeno.

COLD MINTED PEA SOUP

Steps:

• In a saucepan heat the olive oil. When hot, add the onion, cover and simmer gently for about 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Add the lettuce and stir just until wilted. Add the 2 cups of water and peas and bring just to a boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Puree through a food mill or in a food processor with the mint, then add enough ice water or cream to thin to the desired consistency. Chill until serving time. Before serving, adjust the seasoning and serve garnished with chives and yogurt if you wish.

CHILLED SUGAR SNAP PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Pour olive oil into a large pot, set over medium heat, and add leeks to hot oil. Season leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until leeks are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour chicken broth into leeks; bring to a boil. Season with black pepper and cayenne pepper.
• Stir peas into boiling broth mixture and add 2 mint leaves. Bring back to a boil and cook until peas are bright green and have started to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Turn off heat; use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables into a large blender, leaving liquid in pot. Pour half the liquid from the pot into the blender, place a folded towel on the blender lid, and pulse a few times to chop vegetables. Blend at high speed to puree vegetables. Add remaining liquid from pot to blender and liquefy the soup until smooth.
• Pour soup from blender into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and use a spatula to push soup through the strainer, leaving the tough fibrous material behind.
• Cool soup to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.
• Season cold soup with salt and adjust cayenne pepper. Ladle soup into a serving bowl. Spoon creme fraiche into a plastic squeeze bottle and squeeze the creme fraiche over the top of the soup in a loose spiral. Use a skewer to pull the spiral into flower petal shapes, starting from the middle and quickly pulling the skewer through the creme to make pointed petal shapes. Serve garnished with strips of fresh mint.

CHILLED PEA SOUP SHOOTERS

Steps:

• Place the peas, broth, mint, lime juice, cumin and salt in a blender. Cover and process until smooth. Add yogurt; process until blended. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the mint, lime juice, oil, curry paste and salt. Add crabmeat; toss gently to coat. Chill until serving., To serve, pour soup into shot glasses; garnish with crab mixture.

SWEET PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat, add mint, reserving a few sprigs for garnish, and let steep for about 2 hours, until the liquid is very flavorful and slightly green. Strain liquid, discarding mint, and transfer to two ice trays, or an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Place in the freezer, and freeze until solid.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add chopped onion, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and let simmer 1 hour. The liquid will be reduced by about half. Add peas, and cook about 4 minutes, until peas are just tender. Remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl set in ice water. Stir until cold.
• Transfer soup to the jar of a blender; process until smooth. Adjust consistency with more stock. Chill until ready to serve.
• Remove frozen mint ice cubes from the freezer, and place them in the jar of a blender (if using an 8-by-8-inch baking pan, cut ice into chunks). Process the mint ice cubes until they are crushed.
• Place soup in bowls topped with a spoonful of crushed mint ice; garnish with mint sprigs, and serve immediately.