Chilled English Pea Soup With Extra Virgin Olive Oil Recipes

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 ENGLISH PEA SOUP WITH EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• FOR PEAS: Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Salt the water, then add the peas and bring the water back to a boil.
• Cook over moderate heat until very tender, about 20 minutes.
• Drain the peas, reserving the cooking liquid.
• Set aside 1/4 cup of peas.
• FOR SOUP: In a food processor, combine the remaining peas with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and puree until smooth.
• Work the puree through a fine sieve into a large bowl.
• Discard the contents of the sieve.
• Stir in about 4 cups of the cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper; add more cooking liquid if necessary to make a nice, creamy soup.
• Refrigerate the soup until cold, at least 2 hours.
• FOR CROUTONS: In a large skillet, melt the butter in the vegetable oil.
• Add the diced bread and brown the cubes on all sides over moderately high heat, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Drain the croutons on paper towels.
• TO SERVE: Ladle the cold soup into bowls and garnish each with a few of the croutons and reserved peas.
• Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
• MAKE AHEAD: The soup can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated for up to 1 day.
• The croutons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

CHILLED PEA, LETTUCE AND HERB SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the peas, lettuce and stock or water, and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer five minutes. Remove from the heat. Drain through a strainer set over a bowl, and allow the vegetables and the broth to cool for 15 minutes. Taste the broth, and season as desired.
• Working in batches, purée the vegetables and herbs in a blender with the broth and additional olive oil for two minutes until frothy and smooth. Pour into a bowl, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Chill for several hours.
• Serve, garnishing with additional chives, tarragon and/or mint.

ENGLISH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Boil 1 quart well-salted water in a large pot. Add peas; cook until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. (Go by taste rather than time.) Strain peas, saving blanching water, and place them in a bowl of ice water. Puree peas in batches with a little blanching water and pass through a fine sieve or food mill into a large saucepan. Blend, thin with a little hot water if necessary and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon slices on a sheet pan until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove to paper towels. Keep oven on.
• Place bread cubes on the same pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to pick up bacon drippings. Bake until crispy, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside.
• With a knife, peel and segment tangerines over a bowl to catch the juices. Set aside.
• To serve: Reheat soup over medium heat. Lightly crumble bacon into 4 soup bowls. Add croutons, tangerine segments and a little juice. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a mint sprig. Ladle in the soup and drizzle with remaining olive oil.