Peas are a constant in my house, unless, of course, my daughter has snuck into the freezer and devoured an entire bag of frozen peas. The kids are always munching on snap peas, snow peas get tossed into stir-fry, dried peas, black eyed peas, frozen green peas, all of them. Sweet little veggies that carry with them quite a bit of protein with a decent dose of chlorophyll are a staple. Although the season is short, frozen peas are an adequate substitute if fresh is not available.
The short-lived growing season for peas is quite heavenly. It makes for a wonderful opportunity to try peas over baked ricotta, minted pea mash spread on sourdough, served with a lamb chop, or the recipe below, tarragon pea soup.
1 small yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
20 ounces fresh or frozen peas
4 cups vegetable stock
2 sprigs fresh tarragon stems removed
juice and zest of one lemon
salt to taste
olive oil
Garnishes (pick one or two)
sunflower or pea sprouts
Greek style yogurt
parmesan cheese
fresh cracked pepper
olive oil & lemon juice
radish slices
Heat soup pot on medium, add oil and onions. Cook until onions become soft and almost translucent, stir often and be careful not to burn. Add a pinch of salt and garlic, cook for two minutes. Add stock, peas, tarragon, and lemon juice, continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender or in batches in stand-up blender. Return to pot, stir in lemon zest and salt to taste. Serve and top with one or two of the garnishes, a warm slice of sourdough and an offering of thanks.
Eazy Peazy Lemon Squeezee
Grace Rybarczyk
is a yoga teacher, organic chef and mindful living entrepeneur from Springfield, Missouri. [email protected]