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Cook the Book: Minted Sweet Pea and Spinach Soup

Posted by Ed Levine, April 30, 2007 at 6:00 PM

And here's the first recipe of the week from The Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition.

Minted Sweet Pea and Spinach Soup
- makes 4 to 6 portions -
This rich, essence of spring soup is a great starter for a casual dinner party. Frozen peas work very well, and you can even use frozen spinach as well, but make sure you use fresh mint.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups finally chopped yellow onions

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock

10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted

1/2 bunch of fresh mint

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure
1. Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over low heat. Add the chopped onions, cover, and cook until tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, drain the spinach and squeeze out the excess liquid. Pour the stock into the pot, stir in the peas and spinach, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the peas are tender, add the mint to the pot, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

3. Remove the mint leaves from their stems; there should be 2 cups loosely packed leaves. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. When the pears are tender, add the mint to the pot, cover, and simmer for another 5 minutes.

4. Pour the soup through a strainer, reserving the liquid, and transfer the solids to a food processor, or use a food mill fitted with the medium disc. Add 1 cup of the cooking stock and process until smooth.

5. Return the pureed soup to the pot. Add the heavy cream and about 1 cup more stock, until the soup is of the desired consistency.

6. Season with salt and pepper, simmer briefly to heat through, and serve immediately.

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