Recipe of the Week - Chilled Spring Pea Soup
Friday, May 30 2008 | Comments (0)
Delectable and Colorful -
- Not Your Average "Pea Soup"
In some parts of the country, the days are warming up, and with fresh produce is hitting the stores, a chilled Spring Pea Soup could hit the spot!
Chilled Spring Pea Soup, by Gordon Ramsay
from A Chef for All Seasons, (Ten Speed Press, 2000)
Serves 4 as a first course
In "A Chef For All Seasons" Gordon introduces the soup as "...a light, creamy soup that has everything going for it — a tempting color, velvety smooth texture, and a wonderful fresh flavor. Pea and bacon are a popular combination. I like to use Ventrech bacon from Alsace, but another lightly smoked, dry-core bacon would be fine."
Ingredients
4 ounces lightly smoked sliced bacon
2 shallots, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh peas in pods, shelled
2 tablespoons dry white wine
4 cups Vegetable or light chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus a little extra for serving
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gordon's Popular, Seasonal Cookbook
1. Reserve 4 slices of bacon and chop the rest. Place the chopped bacon in a saucepan with the shallots and oil. Heat until sizzling, then sweat over a low heat for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the peas and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated.
3. Stir in the nage or stock and 1 cup of water, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend in a food processor or blender until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a bowl, rubbing with the back of a ladle. Leave to cool and then refrigerate.
4. Meanwhile, broil the reserved bacon slices until crisp. (In the restaurant we bake the slices between two heavy baking sheets to keep them straight and flat, but you may prefer the crinkly look.) Drain well on a paper towel so they aren't greasy. Keep warm.
5. When the soup is well chilled, check the seasoning and whisk in the cream. Season again. Serve in bowls with a little extra cream trickled on top and a floating bacon slice.
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