Springtime Soup: “Simply Elevated”

Carrot and fresh pea soup with chive blossom.

Basic every day ingredients elevated – its the genesis of my new category “Simply Elevated“. I hope to inspire and encourage methods for using ingredients that may not appear to be much in their original form, but can be elevated into a delicious and beautiful meal. Let’s dig into to our refrigerators, freezers, pantries and herb gardens to present something everyone will look forward to eating.

I created this soup last year for my annual Mothers Tea and realized it would be the perfect example during this difficult time, of how a few ordinary ingredients can be transformed into something tasty, filling and nutritious.

Let me begin with the herb garden. If you don’t have one you can easily purchase fresh herbs at the grocery in those little plastic packs, but consider planting some in a large planter or in a small area of your back yard. The benefit of growing your own yields fresh flavors to add to your dishes nearly every day, and eventually if you gently fertilize ,you will see lovely flowers bloom from their stems that are edible and add a lovely touch to your dishes. I’ve had the most luck with an area that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Herbs are inexpensive to grow (I start mine from small plants purchased at the grocery or hardware store) and give them a dose of Miracle Grow right after putting them in the grown. Spring (April and May) are the months they thrive the most. Some will last year round while others can’t make it through the very hot (parsley and cilantro) or very cold (basil) seasons.

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  Chive stems and blossoms

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  Pansies

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  Violas

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  Chive Blossoms

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  Thyme Blossoms

The herbs I use most frequently are thyme, basil, chives (that make beautiful lavender flowers) and parsley, but I also have dill, oregano, rosemary, sage and cilantro. Cilantro and parsley require frequent trimming to avoid seeding, and they don’t like the heat. I use sweet mint with fruit, drinks and some savory dishes, but I would recommend planting mint in a completely separate container. It tends to take over in the garden. This year I’ve added some edible flowers (violas, pansies, marigolds) and Spring onions that also bloom a white version of the chive blossom.

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🍃Carrot, Pea and Mint Soup🍃

6 to 8 servings
FOR THE CARROT PORTION:
2 pounds orange carrots (farm fresh for the best flavor if available )
1 or 2 small to medium purple carrots (if unable to find an orange will do)
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of vegetable stock or water *
1/2 teaspoon of salt
pinch of white pepper
FOR THE MINT-PEA PORTION:
2 – 12 oz packages of frozen sweet peas (reserve 1/2 of whole peas on the side for garnish
6 mint leaves (additional mint for garnish)
1/2 to 1 cup vegetable stock or water*
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lemon zest & juice
Note: * If chicken stock is used the pure flavor of the vegetables will be altered.

Peel all carrots with a vegetable peeler and then slice into 1/4 inch disks. Place in a medium to large skillet with butter and liquid (*vegetable stock or water), salt and pepper. (If you do not have white pepper -black pepper is acceptable.) Simmer on medium heat covered until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. Carefully transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. (Note that hot liquid in a blender can splash and burn you. Make sure to cover the top with a dish towel or allow mixture to slightly cool prior to blending). Add small quantifies of liquid until desired consistency is achieved. In order to create the two side by side or swirl affect, it will have to be the consistency of loose mashed potatoes or the line will not hold. It cannot be watery.

Frozen peas (remove 1/2 cup of whole peas and set aside to thaw to room temperature). Cook frozen peas in microwave according to package instructions. Transfer to a clean blender and add 1/2 cup of liquid (*vegetable stock or water)and mint leaves. Puree, again to desired consistency adding small quantities of liquid – with same note indicated above. Salt and pepper to taste, lemon zest and juice. I then put the pureed soup in a squeeze bottle to control the pour into the other side of the bowl when serving to create the separations of carrot and pea.

Both can be made one to two days in advance, refrigerated in an air tight container. Gently reheat prior to serving.

Garnish: Create thin slices of purple carrot with a vegetable peeler, from stem to end tip. Gently curl and place in ice water until ready to serve. Garnish soup with raw carrot slice, several whole peas, a mint leaf, and chive blossom or other edible flower if available.

Bon Appétit! Let me know what you think if you give it a try.