Spring Pea Soup with Orzo and Mint 青豆薄荷濃湯與Orzo義大利麵

Though the local English peas can't usually be found at this time, can you blame me for being a little bored with root vegetables after five winter months?! Every spring I'm always itching for something green and springy. The weather is still chilly here and the local spring vegetables won't appear for nearly another month. This is a time when I'm dying to have soups like this. Luckily, I can find frozen peas all year round.

Many years back, I saw a vegetable purée soup recipe somewhere that used lettuce, which I thought was quite interesting. After trying it out, I kept the idea and have been using it in various spring and summer soup recipes since then. I know there are many of you who aren't so fond of peas. This may sound funny, but I can't say that I like them so much either. However, I love puréed pea soups like this. When mixed with other vegetables and puréed, the sweetness of the peas comes out even more. I've tried it once with basil, but I think the flavour blends particularly well with fresh mint and lemon. I even snuck an apple in there to add more layers of flavour. With the orzo, it can be enjoyed as a soup-meal by itself. Feel free to serve it warm or cold throughout spring and summer. This soup is so refreshing and nutritious, not to mention its lovely green colour!

雖然當地的青豆季節還未到來，但是冬季已吃了五個月長的根莖類食物，誰能怪我在這個時候已迫不及待的想吃些較清爽的綠色食物呢？！這個食譜是每年到了春季，我自然就很會做的ㄧ個湯。通常這個時候的氣溫還有點寒，所以要買到當地的農產品還需要等一個月，還好冷凍食品很普遍，可以使用冷凍的青豆仁來做這個湯。

多年前，不知道是在哪裡看到的，但我記得有看過一個濃湯的食譜裡面放有生菜葉。當時看到覺得很特別，就馬上試做看看，從此之後，我時常會把沒吃完的生菜葉放入湯裡。我知道很多朋友們不太喜歡吃青豆仁，而我自已其實也不大喜歡，但是唯有這個青豆仁湯我特別的喜愛！我發現將它煮熟並且與其它蔬菜打細後，味道吃起來感覺更甜、更美味。之前有嘗試過與巴西里ㄧ起食用，但我個人覺得它與薄荷和檸檬搭配在ㄧ起還是最適合的、也是最好吃的！我甚至在裡面還偷放了個蘋果，雖然吃不出來，但它使的味道更有層次。這個湯不管是溫的或冷的都非常好喝，可以依個人的喜好或不同的季節來決定。無論是春季或夏季，喝起來都感覺非常的清爽又舒適，加上那美麗的嫩綠色，令人看了也很療癒呢！

Spring Pea Soup with Orzo and Mint (Serves 6)

 
1 1/2 C      yellow onions, chopped

A: 5     C    vegetable broth (for recipe, click here)
    1/2  C    potatoes, washed and cut into small cubes (no need to peel)
    1           apple, peeled, cored and cut into medium cubes

3 C            fresh or frozen peas

B: 2      C   green lettuce leaves, ripped into pieces
    1 1/2 C   baby spinach

C: 3/4    C   mint leaves
     juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1/2 C orzo

1 1/2 T cooking oil

sea salt

black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

microgreens or sprouts for garnish

*T =tbsp, t = tsp, C = cup

1. In a soup pot, heat 1 1/2 T oil. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook covered over medium-low heat for around 10 minutes until soft. Stir and check frequently to avoid browning.

2. Add ingredients A (broth, potatoes, and apples) to the pot with 1/2 t sea salt. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

3. Uncover and add the peas. Simmer for another 3 minutes if using frozen peas, 5 minutes if using fresh peas.

4. Turn off heat and stir in ingredients B (lettuce and spinach). Remove the soup from heat. let the soup cool for 45 minutes.

5. In a blender, add the soup and ingredients C (mint and lemon juice). Blend the mixture until very smooth. You'll need to do this in 2-3 batches. Check the seasoning. *At this point, you can store your soup in the refrigerator for later use.

6. 15-20 minutes before you're ready to serve, heat about 3 C of water and bring it to a boil. Add orzo with1 t salt. Cook your orzo according to the package instruction, then drain and season the orzo.

7. While the orzo is cooking, warm the soup and be sure to not let it come to a boil. *Feel free to serve the soup cold. Especially on a hot day, it can be especially refreshing!

To serve: Transfer the soup into each bowl. Divide the orzo and spoon onto the center of the each soup. Garnish with a little bit of Microgreens or sprouts. Drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, grind some fresh black pepper on the top and serve!

                                                                                               - Yvonne

青豆薄荷濃湯與Orzo義大利麵 (約6人份)


洋蔥   1 1/2 杯，切碎

A: 蔬菜湯   5 杯
    馬鈴薯   3/4 杯，切小塊(洗淨後不需去皮)
    蘋果      1 個，去皮、去籽並切塊

新現或冷凍青豆仁 3 杯

B: 生菜葉    2 杯，用手稍微撕成小片
    菠菜葉    1 杯

C: 薄荷葉    3/4 杯
    檸檬       1 1/2 顆，壓成汁

orzo 米型義大利麵   1/2 杯

油       1 1/2 大匙

海鹽

黑胡椒

冷抽橄欖油

檸檬皮屑 少許

野菜苗

1. 在ㄧ個大型的鍋中，將油加熱，然後加入洋蔥與少許的海鹽。蓋上鍋蓋以中小火炒約10分鍾至軟，每一、兩分鍾就翻炒一下以避免上色或焦掉。

2. 加入A料(高湯、馬鈴薯與蘋果)和1/2小匙的海鹽，煮滾後蓋上鍋蓋以小火繼續煮10分鐘。

3. 打開鍋蓋並加入青豆，若使用的是冷凍青豆，繼續煮3分鐘；若使用的是新鮮的青豆，繼續煮5分鐘。

4. 熄火後加入B料(生菜與菠菜)攪拌幾下，移至較涼的地方放置45分鐘後至稍微冷卻。

5. 在果汁機中倒入冷卻的湯與C料(薄荷與檸檬)，分兩、三次ㄧ起打至細，若不夠鹹，可再加ㄧ點海鹽調味。*這時候可以將打好的湯放置冰箱保存，要喝的時候再取出加熱。

6. 要食用前的十五至二十分鐘，將三杯水煮滾，放入orzo米型義大利麵與1小匙的鹽，按照義大利麵包裝上的指示將它煮熟，然後瀝乾並加ㄧ點點的海鹽調味。

7. 煮麵的同時，可以將湯稍微加熱。*請注意不要將它煮滾，只要熱到溫熱的程度就可以了。*如果在夏季時食用，很適合喝冰的或室溫溫度。

8. 將湯分別盛入碗中，將orzo放在湯的中央，放上一點野菜苗當裝飾。淋上ㄧ些橄欖油、撒上ㄧ點黑胡椒與檸檬皮屑就可以食用了！

                                                                                               - Yvonne

© recipe and photos by My Chouchoux