Fresh pea soup with 3 dressing options
6 servings
30 minutes
Fresh pea soup is a delicate spring dish that fills the kitchen with aromas of greenery and freshness. Its roots trace back to Russian culinary tradition, where vegetable soups hold a special place due to their simplicity and natural ingredients. The creamy texture is achieved by combining young peas, potatoes, and cream, while mint adds a light zest. The uniqueness of this soup lies in three serving options: with crispy meat chips and crackers for salty richness, with whole chips and fresh mint for an elegant presentation, or with toasted ciabatta, feta, and herbs for a richer flavor contrast. It’s the perfect dish for a light lunch that combines freshness, richness, and subtle aromatic accents.
1
Cut the celery stalk into pieces about 0.5 cm; if the stalk is thick, you can also cut it lengthwise first.
- Celery stalk: 2 pieces
2
Chop the onion finely.
- Onion: 1 piece
3
Peel the potatoes and grate them on a coarse grater.
- Potato: 2 pieces
4
Remove the mint leaves from the stems, discard the stems, and set aside a few small top leaves for dressing.
- Fresh mint: 6 stems
5
Place onion and celery in a saucepan and cover with water.
- Onion: 1 piece
- Celery stalk: 2 pieces
6
Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes until soft.
7
Bring the vegetable broth (made from vegetables or a cube) to a boil over low heat.
- Vegetable broth: 1 l
8
Take fresh peeled peas and stewed vegetables (in off-season, you can replace them with frozen ones). Put the peas in the broth and cook for about 1 minute. It's important not to overcook so the peas don't lose their color.
- Snap peas: 700 g
9
Add cream and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Single cream 10% fat: 100 ml
10
Remove from heat, let it cool slightly, and blend to a cream soup consistency with an immersion blender.
11
There are 3 options for the dressing: Option 1 - finely chop mint leaves, thinly slice the bacon (ham or prosciutto), and dry it in the oven on a baking sheet with parchment paper for about 10 minutes at 180 degrees until crispy. You can use any meat with minimal fat content. It will give the soup a salty note. After that, finely crush the meat chips. Crush unsalted crackers (the meat will provide enough salt) in a mortar into small pieces but not into crumbs. Mix everything and sprinkle it into each plate before serving.
- Fresh mint: 6 stems
- Smoked pork belly: 4 pieces
- Crackers: 4 pieces
12
Option 2 - also bake the meat in the oven, but do not chop it, place a piece of chips vertically on each plate, and sprinkle with unchopped young mint leaves.
- Smoked pork belly: 4 pieces
- Fresh mint: 6 stems
13
Option 3 - tear the ciabatta by hand into small pieces, drizzle with olive oil and grill in a skillet. Mix it with the remaining mint leaves and finely chopped feta, and carefully add it to the soup before serving.
- Ciabatta: 150 g
- Feta cheese: 100 g
- Fresh mint: 6 stems
