The Perfect Pea Soup for Spring

Pease Porridge hot,
Pease Porridge cold,
Pease Porridge in the pot, nine days old.

Remember that old nursery rhyme? Well, we've come a long way from when English peasants used a fireplace kettle to cook Pease (peas) Porridge (basically split pea soup) by adding ingredients and liquid to the base while reheating and cooling over many days, thus extending it for several meals. (No, thank you.)

This gorgeous, emerald-green soup, on the other hand, celebrates spring and pea season with a hearty vegetable flavor that is warming but not too filling. It makes a fine chilled soup, too.

GREEN PEA SOUP WITH LITTLE VEGETABLES
Makes 8 servings

Green Pea Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and finely chopped (1 cup)
6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
4 cups fresh or frozen green peas, rinsed under cold water
1 large bunch watercress, stemmed (about 1½ cups packed leaves)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

Vegetable Garnish
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 cup asparagus tips
1 cup finely diced carrots

To make the soup, heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the potato, then the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the peas, and return to a boil over high heat. Cook until very tender, about 8 minutes for fresh peas and 5 minutes for frozen. Stir in the watercress. In batches, puree in a blender or food processor. Add the lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Return to the pot, and reheat over medium heat until piping hot.

Ladle into soup bowls, and add a spoonful of the vegetable garnish (below) to each serving. Sprinkle with mint and serve. 

To prepare the vegetable garnish, bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the peas, and cook just until tender, about 5 minutes for fresh peas, 2 minutes for frozen. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. (If you have a large skimmer, you can fish out the peas and keep the water boiling.) Transfer the peas to a bowl.

Repeat with the asparagus, cooking just until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, rinse, and add to the bowl. Repeat with the carrots, cooking just until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, rinse, and add to the bowl. (The vegetables can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead, covered, and kept at room temperature.)