Puree of (Frozen) Pea Soup

January 21, 2010 · Filed under recipes · Tagged frozen peas, pea soup

Last Saturday I awoke to a partially defrosted freezer. I won’t get into a discussion here on the pros and cons of built-in refrigerator/freezers, but let’s just say that they’re like a spoiled super model in a factory: nice on the eyes but not a great worker.

So with loads of food thawing out before me, I got to work separating items into groups: items still frozen that could go in the other freezer (yes, I actually have another one in the garage); items that should go in the fridge to be used later this week; items to toss out immediately (I mean, if we haven’t eaten that 6-month old bean soup yet, we probably won’t); and items to cook pronto.

Now going through the entire contents of your freezer can be an eye opening voyage into the workings of your personality. For instance, I realized as I chucked and stored that although I have a depression-era conscience (I bag and save all sorts of pastas, soups, and stews like a gourmand pack rat) I also have an 80s-era mentality when it comes to using said food (I don’t like leftovers so mostly buy new stuff and ignore what I’ve kept).

In the midst of my sorting, I realized that I also have a problem with the amount of frozen peas that I buy. Now I am not being hyperbolic here. I had 7 bags of frozen peas in my freezer: some unopened; others partially eaten; and others that had been used as ice packs. I tossed the ice pack freezers and then saved the others.  But once I was through combining the savable contents of my in-house freezer with my garage freezer, it was all too quickly apparent that I wouldn’t be able to fit everything. And so, in a moment of frugality (I mean, how could I throw out those 2 perfectly good bags of unopened peas that wouldn’t fit) I set to work making pea soup for lunch.

So now, although my in-house freezer is still on the fritz (after two repairmen visits), I have a new recipe for a lovely pea soup that is perfect for a rainy day. It’s fast, easy, and even uses leftover mashed potatoes, if you have those on hand. If not, you can plop in more butter and whole milk for creaminess.

So here it is.

Broken Freezer Frozen Pea Soup

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen peas

1 Tbsp  olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 onion finely chopped

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes or the inside of a  baked potato

1/4 cup milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat oil and butter in a medium-sized pot.

2. Add onions and cook until translucent.

3. Add peas and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add broth and simmer for five minutes.

5. Add mashed potatoes and milk and mix thoroughly.

6. Puree ingredients thoroughly using either a hand or stand blender.

7. Salt and pepper to taste.

Related Posts

Fresh Spring Pea Soup
Roasted Cream of Corn Chowder with Parsley Pistou
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup