Faced with two weeks worth of CSA peas, the hubby and I were brainstorming what to do with them when he had a brilliant idea. "We should make pea soup! With ham!" I adore split pea soup so I went digging for recipes. Most of the ones I found called for dried peas, but I did find one using fresh peas. We adapted it to what we had on hand and are so very glad that we did. : )
Makes: About 4 servings
Ingredients
4 tbsp butter
4 medium to large green onions
5 cups fresh shelled peas
4 cups water
6 tbsp whipping/heavy cream
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 cup thick cut ham
Directions
DICE onions
MELT butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat
ADD onions
COOK until translucent
ADD peas and water
INCREASE heat to medium-high
BRING to a boil
REDUCE heat to low
COVER
SIMMER until peas are tender, 15-20 minutes
DICE ham into small pieces
PUREE pea mixture in a food processor
STRAIN back into saucepan
ADD HAM
HEAT over medium-low heat
ADD whipping/heavy cream
ADD salt and pepper to taste
My Thoughts
1. This was really good. The super smooth consistency makes it feel extra fancy. This is the first dish I've ever made that I could imagine being served at a fancy restaurant.
2. This is pretty much "essence of pea", so if you like peas, you'll love it. If not, move along.
3. If you wanted more of a stew consistency, it could be thickened with potatoes and sauted onions, carrots, peas could be added after it was strained.
4. The straining is really and truly necessary. Not doing so will leave you with a wonderfully flavored, slightly gritty concoction. Don't skip the straining step.
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