English Pea Soup Recipes

ENGLISH PUB SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Place ham bone in a 4-qt. slow cooker. Add peas, celery, carrot and onion. Combine water, beer and mustard; pour over vegetables. Cook, covered, on high 5-6 hours or until peas are tender., Remove ham bone from soup. Cool slightly, trim away fat and remove meat from bone; discard fat and bone. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces; return to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. If desired, top with additional minced parsley.

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.

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.

MINTED ENGLISH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and celery, and cook until soft. Add potatoes and 7 cups vegetable stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Fill another large saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt and return to a boil. Add peas and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer peas to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and add to saucepan with vegetables and stock.
• Working in batches, puree the soup in the jar of a blender or bowl of a food processor. Strain liquid twice through a fine mesh sieve into another large saucepan. Add 1 cup of heavy cream and place saucepan over low heat. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Tie mint together using kitchen twine and add to saucepan; let steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove mint and discard. If soup seems too thick, add some of the remaining vegetable stock to thin.
• In a medium bowl, whisk remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold into the warmed soup. Serve immediately.