Creamy Pea Pod Soup with Oregano Croutons
I had wanted to try cooking pea pods for a long time. I was waiting for the chance to buy them organically. Then the right opportunity came a few days ago when my neighbor gave me a bag of peas from her garden. These are real organic pods!
I decided to prepare a creamy soup, the dish most suitable for using pods.
For the ingredients, I went by feel, and primarily by necessity, because the number of pods I had was limited, so to have at least one serving per person, I thought it was necessary to add other vegetables as well. Carrots and celery are mild enough not to overpower the pea flavor, plus I added potatoes for texture and volume. I intentionally didn’t use onion to avoid covering up the pea flavor. Finally, the ricotta, a small protein addition, turns the creamy soup into a light, complete meal.
Ah! And you can’t miss the croutons, a must with creamy soups!
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Looking for more creamy soups or purees? Here they are! 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Anti-waste
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs peas (fresh, to be shelled)
- 2 potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- 3.5 oz ricotta
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (optional)
- 12 cups water
- bread (or sandwich bread)
- extra virgin olive oil
- oregano
Tools
- Pot
- Peeler
- Food Mill
- Immersion Blender
- Pan
Steps
Shell the peas.
Save the peas for another recipe (recipe to follow soon!) (Here it is! pea sauce).Wash the pods in cold water and use them to prepare the vegetable broth along with carrots, celery, and potatoes. Boil until the vegetables are fully cooked (at least 20 minutes).
Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables and pass them through the food mill.
👉 I recommend cutting the pea pods into two or three pieces, either before or after cooking. Also, remove the stem (is that what it’s called on pods?), which is too hard for the food mill.
Passing the vegetables is the most tedious part of this recipe, I confess. But there are no alternatives as the pods are quite fibrous and with a blender or other electric accessory, you only get annoying tangles around the blades.As you pass the pods, you will need to remove excess skins from the food mill to facilitate the operation.
At this point, extend the obtained puree with some ladles of vegetable broth (which definitely smells like peas) until reaching the desired consistency.
☝ Any leftover broth shouldn’t be thrown away, it can be frozen!
👉 If it’s too liquid, no problem, it can be quickly resolved by adding a tablespoon of cornstarch, and the cream thickens immediately.
Put the puree on the fire and add the ricotta.
Stir and, if a slightly grainy texture is desired, it can be served at this point.
I preferred to blend with the immersion blender, thus obtaining a fine and delicate creamy soup that everyone appreciated, even my children! and even my husband, so… experiment succeeded! 😀
Cut the bread (or sandwich bread) into squares and toast it in a pan with a little oil and some oregano to taste.
Serve this creamy pea pod soup very hot, adding just a drizzle of oil directly to each plate and the oregano-scented croutons, a great combination, I think.
Photo update on 06/18/21:
As always when I update the recipe photos, I’ll leave here the previous photo. I’m still fond of the photos from the first months of the blog! 🤭 Enjoy!
Salt-Free Tips
If you don’t know yet that I cook without salt 😉, I suggest reading my article Cooking without Salt, My Journey and the following tips with which I always conclude my recipes:
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Gradually decrease the salt, so the palate gets used to it slowly and doesn’t notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that don’t disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally allow yourself a break from the rule. It’s good for morale and helps you persevere.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes, seasoning according to your habits.
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