Spring Pea, Leek and White Bean Soup

Spring is finally here! Yes, I know that we never really had a winter, but I still get excited when I see the first buds on the trees appear and the first daffodils start to tentatively bloom even if I never had to chip ice of my car.

I have been on a soup kick recently and the appearance of fresh peas delicately green peas in the grocery store gave me a flash of inspiration. Pea and leek soup is a classic spring combination, one that I come back to each year around this time. For this version I wanted to make this light soup into a proper meal so I gave it more body by adding white beans and caramelized onion, and made it sing with a generous portion of lemon zest and tons of herbs added at the last minute. This simple and elegant bowl of soup was topped with grated Parmesan more herbs and served with a thick slice of bread for the best spring kickoff meal imaginable.






Spring Pea Leek and White Bean Soup

2 tbsp butter
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, trimmed, rinsed thoroughly and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup caramelized onion paste (made ahead of time, see bottom of recipe)
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 cups water
1 can white beans (navy or cannellini) or 1 cup dried white beans soaked overnight, rinsed and cooked
2 cups hulled super fresh or frozen green peas
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp chives, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste

grated Parmesan to garnish
more mint, parsley, chives and lemon zest to garnish

Brown the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for five minutes until they start to soften. At this point add the garlic and onion paste and cook for another 5 minutes. Once this garlic is cooked, pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Once most of the alcohol in the wine has cooked off- about 3 minutes- pour in the broth and water and add the in the white beans. Bring back up to a light boil and let cook for about 10 minutes until the leeks are cooked through but not mushy and the beans have absorbed some of the broth.

If using fresh peas, add now and let them simmer in the soup for about 5 minutes until cooked through but not mushy and are still bright green. If you are using frozen peas add them to the soup and simmer until they are warmed through, about 2 minutes. You want to keep the peas as vibrant and fresh tasting as possible so cook them as little as possible.

Once the peas are done, take the pot off the heat and right before serving, stir in the lemon zest, mint, parsley and chives. These will cook in the residual heat of the soup and will only lose flavor as they sit in the hot soup. Mint particularly tends to hide in the background when it is cooked, so feel free to add more mint to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve soup in wide bowls topped with more lemon zest, herbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.


Caramelized Onion Paste


1 tbsp oil
2 large onions, diced
generous pinch of salt

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat until it shimmers. Add in the onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and have lost most of their moisture. Turn the heat down to medium low and continue to cook the onions, stirring frequently until they begin to break down and turn a rich golden brown color. The onions are done when they turn into a sticky lumpy paste and are the color of maple syrup. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Note: Be careful to keep the onion from burning particularly as they start to caramelize. Stir constantly and turn the heat down if needed.