Alfred Portales Spring Pea Soup Recipes

SPRING PEA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute potatoes in butter until lightly browned. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Add peas; cook until peas are tender, 5-8 minutes. Cool slightly., In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to the pan; heat through. Sprinkle with chives and, if desired, microgreens.

SPRING PEA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the scallions are tender, 2 to 3 minutes, then add the peas, stock and 1 cup of water. Bring to boil, then simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes to allow the peas to soften further.
• Using a jar blender, carefully puree the soup until smooth (see Cook's Note). Pour the soup back into the pot, then add the sour cream and honey, and gently warm for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Garnish the bottom of each serving bowl with the fresh pea slices and basil leaves. Ladle the soup on top and serve.

ALFRED PORTALE'S SPRING-PEA SOUP

Steps:

• To make the custard, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse morels well under cold water. In a medium saucepan, bring morels, cream and truffle oil to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture thickens, about 12 minutes.
• Purée the mixture in a blender. Whisk the purée into the yolks and stir in salt and white pepper.
• Place four lightly buttered two-ounce ramekins in a large baking dish. Pour the morel mixture into the ramekins. Add enough hot water to the baking dish to come 1/2 inch up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil and bake until the custards are set, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the water bath, run a paring knife around the edges of the ramekins and turn each custard upside down into the center of a soup bowl. If not serving immediately, cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• In a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and celery, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and add peas. When boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until the peas are very tender. Remove from heat and season with salt and white pepper.
• Drain the peas, reserving the stock. Purée the vegetables in a blender, adding stock slowly. Place a large bowl in an ice bath, add the soup and stir. Season with salt, white pepper and sugar, and either serve at once or refrigerate.
• To serve, have the soup at room temperature or slightly warm. Spoon enough soup around each custard to come up 3/4 of the height of the custard. Drizzle each serving with white truffle oil and garnish with a chervil sprig.

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.

SPRING PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan or stock pot on medium heat. Add leeks and onion and cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Add peas and stir to coat with leek mixture. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add mint and season with salt and pepper.
• Purée soup in blender, food processor or immersion blender. Return to heat. Stir in evaporated milk. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• TIPS: To clean leeks, chop and place in a large bowl of cold water. The dirt will sink to the bottom of the bowl. lift out leeks and rinse in a strainer.
• It will take about 4 lb. of peas in the pod to yield 6 cups of shelled peas.

SPRING PEA SOUP WITH MINT

Steps:

• Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until just before it
• starts to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the peas, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and boiling water. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until the peas are tender, about 2 minutes.
• Let the pea mixture cool for 5 minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender, filling only halfway. Add the spinach and mint. Put the lid on, leaving one corner open. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth. Depending on the size of your blender you may need to blend the soup in two or three batches.
• Return the soup to the saucepan and adjust its consistency as desired, adding room temperature water if it's too thick. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve the soup hot or place the soup in an ice bath for about 20 minutes and serve chilled. Top with pea shoots, chives or mint.

SPRING PEA SOUP WITH ASPARAGUS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium pot over medium. Add leek, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add broth, 2 cups water, and Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until aromatic, about 10 minutes.
• Add potatoes and simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Add shelled peas, snap peas, and asparagus tips and stalks; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are bright green and just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, remove Parmesan rind, and season with salt and pepper. Serve, topped with dill.

FRESH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Pour in the water and peas, season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender, 12 to 18 minutes.
• Puree the peas in a blender or food processor in batches. Strain back into the saucepan, stir in the cream if using, and reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.