Pea Pod Soup with Oregano Croutons.
I’ve been wanting to try cooking with pea pods for quite some time. I was waiting for the opportunity to buy them from organic production. But the right occasion came a few days ago when my neighbor gifted me a bag of peas from her garden. Now these are truly organic pods!
I decided to make a soup, the most suitable dish for using pods.
For the ingredients, I went by feel, and especially by necessity, meaning that the amount of pods I had was limited, so to get at least a serving for each person, I thought it was necessary to add other vegetables. Carrot and celery are delicate enough not to overpower the taste of peas, plus I added potatoes for consistency and volume. I deliberately didn’t use onion so as not to cover the taste of the peas. Finally, ricotta, a small protein addition that makes this soup a light one-pot meal.
Ah! And croutons are a must, essential with soups!
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Other soups or creams? Here they are! 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: No Waste
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs peas (fresh, to shell)
- 2 potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk celery
- 3.5 oz ricotta
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
- 12 cups water
- bread (or sliced bread)
- extra virgin olive oil
- oregano
Tools
- Pot
- Peeler
- Food Mill
- Immersion Blender
- Pan
Steps
Shell the peas.
Keep the peas to use in another preparation (recipe to come soon!) (Here it is! It’s my pea sauce).Wash the pods in cold water and use them to prepare the vegetable broth along with carrot, 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, before or after cooking as you prefer, and I also recommend removing the stalk (is that what it’s called even in pods?), which is too hard for the food mill.
Passing the vegetables is the most tedious step of this recipe, I confess. But there are no alternatives as the pods are quite fibrous, and using a blender or other electrical accessory results in annoying wraps around the blades.As you pass the pods, you need to remove excess peels from the food mill to facilitate the operation.
At this point, thin the obtained puree with some ladles of the vegetable broth (which definitely smells of peas) until you get the desired consistency.
☝ Do not throw away any leftover broth, it can be frozen!
👉 If it turns out too liquid, no problem, you can resolve it quickly by adding a tablespoon of cornstarch, and the cream thickens immediately.
Heat the puree and add the ricotta.
Stir, and if you prefer a slightly grainy texture, you can serve it at this point.
I preferred to blend it with the immersion blender, so I obtained a fine and delicate soup which everyone appreciated, even my kids! and even my husband, so… experiment successful! 😀
Cut the bread (or sliced bread) into cubes and toast it in a pan with a little oil and some oregano to taste.
Serve this pea pod soup piping hot, adding just a drizzle of oil directly to individual bowls and the oregano-scented croutons, an excellent combination for me.
Photo Update of 18/6/21:
As always when I update the recipe photos, here’s 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 recommend reading my article Cooking Without Salt, My Journey and the following tips with which I always conclude my recipes:
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Decrease salt gradually, the palate needs to get used to it slowly and should not notice the gradual 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 retain flavors (grilling, baking in foil, steaming, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally allow yourself to break the rule. It’s good for the mood and helps to persevere.
If you do not want, or cannot, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting them according to your habits.
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On my new WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page and Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s Group, in the Kitchen and Beyond and Exactly What I Was Looking For! and if you’d like… subscribe to my Newsletter.
