Spring Pea Soup With Mint

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 3 1/4 cups shelled fresh peas
• 2 heads spring garlic or 1 1/2 cloves regular garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, tough stems discarded and leaves roughly chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 4 tablespoons crème fraîche

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

Bring stock to a simmer in a small pot over medium heat.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, combine 3 cups peas, garlic, a pinch of salt and olive oil, then ladle in enough hot stock to just cover peas. Braise peas at a gentle simmer until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Stir about ¾ of mint into peas, and continue to simmer until peas are plump and just tender, about 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pea mixture and pan drippings to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. If soup is too thick, with motor running, slowly pour more hot stock into blender, adding just enough to reach desired consistency. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Divide soup among four bowls. Garnish with remaining raw peas, mint, a drizzle of olive oil and dollops of crème fraîche.