Cool soups usher in the warm months ahead and this Chilled Pea Soup with Mint is here to get you through the season. The mint mates well with the peas, as well as reinforces the soup’s striking emerald color that’ll catch anyone’s eye. This recipe is the perfect prepare-ahead starter for spring lunch or dinner. Plus, it’s full of nutrients due to the fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin K within peas.
What’s the Difference Between Sugar Snap Peas and Shelled Peas
Sugar snap peas and shelled peas start to differ when looking at their flavor and texture. Shelled peas usually have a tender, sweet inside. They carry a pure, fresh flavor and soft or yielding texture. Sugar snap peas on the other hand come in a crisp, almost crunchy pod with a slightly sweeter, more vibrant flavor than shelled peas. Once you pop out the sugar snap peas, the tender sweetness immediately sets them apart. Their contrast makes them a great pair for this soup but you can always stick to one or the other as well.
Chilled Pea Soup with Mint
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Description
Chilled soup under a bright and shining sun is the best way to welcome spring.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 to 4 green onions, chopped with all white and unwilted green parts
- 1 lb sugar snap peas in the pod, tipped and stringed, or 2 cups shelled peas, fresh or frozen, or a combination
- 3 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp minced fresh mint
- Salt and white pepper
- 4 long mild radishes, such as French Breakfast radishes, thinly sliced lengthwise, to garnish
- Fresh mint sprigs or pea shoots or both, to garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the green onions and sauté just until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the peas and continue cooking until they just begin to wilt, a couple of additional minutes.
- Pour in the stock, cover, and cook until the peas are tender, 5 to 10 additional minutes, depending on whether the peas are in the pod or shelled. Nibble on one to check if done.
- Cool the mixture for at least 5 minutes, then spoon it into a blender and add the yogurt and mint. Cover the blender firmly and puree until very smooth.
- Refrigerate the soup for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours, covered. (The soup remains tasty later but the verdant green color begins to fade.) Season with salt and white pepper.
- Serve chilled, adding dashes of cold water if the soup doesn’t spoon easily. Add curlicues of radish along with mint sprigs or pea tendrils, or both, and serve.
Story and Recipe by Cheryl Alters Jamison
Styling by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Tira Howard
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