Chilled English Pea Soup with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 quarts water
- Salt
- 4 pounds fresh peas, shelled (4 cups shelled)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup diced crustless day-old country bread (3/8-inch dice)
- Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.
- Salt the water, then add the peas and bring the water back to a boil.
- Cook over moderate heat until very tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the peas, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Set aside 1/4 cup of peas.
- In a food processor, combine the remaining peas with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and puree until smooth.
- Work the puree through a fine sieve into a large bowl.
- Discard the contents of the sieve.
- Stir in about 4 cups of the cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper; add more cooking liquid if necessary to make a nice, creamy soup.
- Refrigerate the soup until cold, at least 2 hours.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter in the vegetable oil.
- Add the diced bread and brown the cubes on all sides over moderately high heat, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drain the croutons on paper towels.
- Ladle the cold soup into bowls and garnish each with a few of the croutons and reserved peas.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
water, salt, fresh peas, extravirgin olive oil, freshly ground pepper, unsalted butter, vegetable oil, country bread
Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chilled-english-pea-soup-with-extra-virgin-olive-oil (may not work)