Chilled Sweet Pea and Cucumber Soup
It was a steamer this weekend, in true July fashion. We had a big moving sale so were out in the heat of it. I whipped up this soup for a quick, refreshing lunch that we could eat on the fly. I used frozen peas because we didn’t have enough fresh peas from the garden, but either works just as well. The tang of the yogurt to garnish this is delicious, but you could also use a crumble of feta, or other salty young cheese. Its a vegan recipe if you use a soy yogurt for garnish. Its also just as tasty the next day! We drank this with a 2009 Spanish Verdeho from Rueda, called El Perro Verde and its mineral acidity was a perfect compliment.
Chilled Sweet Pea and Cucumber Soup
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-15 ounce bag of sweet peas, frozen (or fresh)
5 cups of peeled and seeded cucumber, chopped
1/4 minced fresh mint
2 cup vegetable stock (without tomatoes in ingredients)
2 teaspoons of sea salt (or to taste)
3 ounces Greek yogurt
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Mint sprigs for garnish
1. Pour olive oil in a 4 qt soup pot and bring to heat on a medium flame. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until transcluscent. Add peas and saute until tender. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Add the onion and pea mixture to blender with broth and puree until smooth. Add cucumber, mint, and remaining salt to mixture and puree again until soup is smooth. Add more broth to thin, if necessary, and adjust salt. Chill soup for at least an hour.
3. Serve with 1 tablespoon of yogurt on top and sprinkle a little sea salt on top. Garnish with mint sprigs, and drizzle about a teaspoon olive oil around middle.
I've recently moved my life from Brooklyn, New York to Sonoma County, California to pursue a life in food and wine. I am now the executive chef at