Dewy fresh...and irresistible
And why not? A little over a week ago I sat down to a wedding dinner at Langdon Hall Country Inn, on a hillside overlooking the Grand River in Cambridge, Ontario. Chilled bowls arrived, cupping the most beautiful green pea soup, slashed across the top with a bold stroke of creme fraiche and a trail of what turned out to be prosciutto crumble.
"This chef", I thought to myself, "loves vegetables. He lets them speak for themselves'. The soup was icy cold as behooves a warm evening and at the first spoonful there was silence at our table. Even the bride and groom focused their bliss on the perfect essence of peas - delicate but summery, a touch sweet yet refreshing. Nothing spoiled its simplicity.
Executive Chef Jonathan Gushue proved his admiration for vegetables as the meal progressed, and graciously agreed to share his simple but splendid summer soup. I have served it twice in the last week, to surprise that it's so good... and surprise that it's made out of peas! As for getting the right peas for the soup, if, unlike Langdon Hall which has gardens that provide fresh peas to the kitchen, a good produce store, roadside stand or farmers' market is the best bet for buying fresh peas in their pods. Lacking all of the above, choose frozen peas - one of the few vegetables that freezes well. Avoid the multi-sized peas and zero in on the packets of small peas. They retain the lovely sweetness of summer and are worth the extra pennies.
You can make your own bold design on the top of the soup with a plastic squeeze bottle filled with creme fraiche or sour cream.
Chilled Sweet Pea Soup
Serve in wide bowls, white if possible, so the creme fraiche and crumble make a dramatic statement. You don't need a lot of soup - a half to three-quarters cup (125 to 175 mL), depending on your bowls, is plenty to start a summer party dinner.
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
3 shallots, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
4 cups (1 L) water or vegetable broth
4 cups (1 L) shelled peas
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vegetable oil
3 thin slices prosciutto
2 tbsp. (30 mL) fine dry but fresh breadcrumbs
1/3 cup (75 mL) creme fraiche or 30% sour cream
. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic; fry gently, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
. Add the water; cover and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the peas; cover and bring back to the boil. Boil for about 4 minutes or until peas are tender. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
. Puree with an immersion blender, or in batches in a stand blender or with a food mill. Set a sieve over a large bowl; set the bowl in the bottom of the sink. Being careful not to burn yourself, pour the pureed soup into the sieve. Press the soup through the sieve, working the mash well to get as much of the tender peas through the sieve as possible. This gives the soup its texture.
. Chill soup; cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Taste, adding salt if desired, keeping in mind the prosciutto crumble scattered over the top of the soup.
. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet. Over medium heat, saute the prosciutto until crisp. Let cool; pat off any fat. Chop coarsely and whiz in a clean coffee grinder or small food processor until the prosciutto is in very fine almost whispy pieces; set aside. (Note that you can chop this finely, but it won't be quite as delicate as Chef Gushue's.
. In a small dry skillet, toast the breadcrumbs until golden; combine with the prosciutto. (Make-ahead; cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
. To serve, check the soup for thickness and saltiness. If you used vegetables broth the soup will not need any salt, but made with water, it will. Also check for thickness; whisk in cold vegetable broth or even milk, if a thinner soup is preferred.
. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Swirl with a generous stroke of creme fraiche and a line of prosciutto crumb crumble. Serve any remaining crumble to add to the soup.
. Makes 6 servings.
Tip: Use a small plastic squeeze bottle with a wide opening tip for stroking the soup with creme fraiche.
Fresh Pea Mash - aka Fresh Pea Crostini
This slightly rough puree atop homemade toasts or melba toasts evolved out of an idea volunteer historic cook Vi Cardella suggested for an appetizer menu served at an Ontario Wine Society event at Campbell House Museum in Toronto. Suits vegetarians, is not expenseve, and in cooking world where so many cooked dishes are brown, these emerald green crostini stand out - for looks and for taste. One-bite size is recommended.
Spoon the seasoned mashed peas on toasted baguette, garnish and pass around. Or, spoon the mash into a bowl, topped here with sour cream or creme fraiche and sprinkle with snipped chives. Guests can dig down and scoop up enough to mound on crackers or melba toast. For the picture I sliced a whole wheat baguette and with a cookie cutter, cut out rounds which I crisped in the oven. A little rustic looking, but tasty.
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
1 shallot, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 cups (750 mL) fresh peas, or frozen small peas
2 tbsp (30 mL) water, vegetable or chicken broth (for non vegetarians), (approx)
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/3 cup (75 mL) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (real Parmesan cheese)
1 tbsp (15 mL) sour cream and mayonnaise
20 slices ficelle or thin baguette, whole wheat if available
Garnish:
1/2 cup (125 mL) sour cream
Fresh chives, and chive blossoms, if available
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic; mix well. Cover and sweat* the vegetables to soften them, and encourage them to share their suble flavours with the peas.
. Stir in the peas and water. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until peas are tender and broth has evaporated, about 5 minutes.For fresh peas you may need to add more broth to keep the peas moist.
. Add the cheese, stirring to encourage it to melt in with the peas. Let cool slightly; puree in food processor until still slightly chunky. Whirl in the sour cream and mayonnaise. (Make-ahead: Transfer to airtight container and let cool in refrigerator. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 1 day).
. Meanwhile, toast the slices of ficelle just until golden; let cool. Spoon pea mixture onto toasted slices, Top with a dollop of sour cream and a dusting of snipped fresh chives, and possibly some separated chive blossoms.
. Makes 20 pieces.
* Sweat: to cook over low heat in oil or butter to draw out juices and flavours of a food, usually vegetables, without browning. A cover is usual when sweating vegetables for a soup, stew or mixture like this mash of peas.
Pea Mash Crostini with Mascarpone
Instead of layering the pea mash, sour cream and chives onto a toasted slice of ficelle, spread the toasted slice with mascarpone or cream cheese (about 2/3 cup (175 mL), add the pea mash and garnish with chive flowers, snipped chives or thinly slice green onion, the white part for contrast. If you fancy a red and green colour scheme, finely dice enough red onion to make 1/2 cup (125 ml). Soak in cold water for 15 minutes; drain and pat dry. use to garnish the pea mash.
What You Need to Know about Fresh Peas in their Pods
. Choose crisp bright green pea pods that are well filled with medium-size peas. Avoid a combo of bulging pea pods and thin hardly filled pods. The peas will be of different sizes and will not cook evenly.
. Plan to cook fresh peas the day you buy them - the longer they are from harvest the more of their sugar has turned to starch. If life deals you a delay in enjoying the peas, wrap the pods in a clean kitchen towel, enclose them in plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 2 day. Won't be quite the same, but better than no fresh peas at all.
. Cook peas, covered, in 2 inches (5 cm) boiling water until tender, about 2 to 5 minutes. Or steam for about 8 minutes.
. 1 lb (450 g) whole peas in their shells yields about 1-1/3 cup (325 mL) shelled peas.
Shelling peas is fun to do at the end of a warm afternoon, on the back porch, and with kids who will eat almost as many peas as they shell and drop into the pot.
