Chilled Sugar Snap and Sweet Pea Soup with Tomato and Avocado
Serves: 4
Spring has sprung and so have peas–they are at their peak of sweetness. Peas are tiny but mighty, full of fiber, protein and vitamins, yet low in calories. Mint brightens the flavor of this soup while the tomato adds another layer of sweetness and the avocado adds a delicate richness.
This beautiful soup, inspired by the late Michelin star Chef Charlie Trotter, makes for an elegant first course or lunch with friends.
Spring has sprung and so have peas–they are at their peak of sweetness. Peas are tiny but mighty, full of fiber, protein and vitamins, yet low in calories. Mint brightens the flavor of this soup while the tomato adds another layer of sweetness and the avocado adds a delicate richness.
This beautiful soup, inspired by the late Michelin star Chef Charlie Trotter, makes for an elegant first course or lunch with friends.
Ingredients
- 2-½ cups sugar snap peas, blanched
- 1-⅔ cup sweet peas, blanched, divided
- ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup (more if needed) blanching water
- freshly ground black pepper (and salt-optional)
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 medium sized red tomatoes (about 1-½ pounds) to make 1 cup tomato concasse
- 2 teaspoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 large avocado, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons vegan Greek yogurt + 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns, ground (or sumac or sweet paprika)
- 4 small sprigs of mint
Directions
- Bring a pot full of water to a boil, and add in the sugar snap peas. Blanch for about 2 minutes or until bright green and tender. Remove the peas from the water and place in a bowl filled with ice and water to stop the cooking.
- Add in the sweet peas and the 1/3 cup of mint to the boiling water, and blanch for 30 seconds. Remove and place in the ice bath. Measure out 1 cup of the peas and reserve in a separate container for garnishing the soup.
- Place the sugar snap peas, the remaining 2/3 cup of the sweet peas, blanched mint and ½ cup of blanching water in a blender. Purée until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, and season with pepper and salt, (if you are using it), to taste. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
- Using a paring knife, remove the stem from the tomatoes and place in a pot of boiling water until the skin of the tomato starts to peel away, about 30-40 seconds. Remove tomatoes and let cool to the touch. Peel away the skin, cut in half around the equator of the tomatoes and squeeze out the juice and seeds.
- Chop the tomatoes into ¼-inch pieces.
- Heat a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat. Add chopped shallots and a little water, and cook, stirring often, until translucent. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and cook for 4-5 minutes or until most of the tomato juice has been reduced. Remove the tomato mixture from the pan and cool.
- Toss the diced avocado with lime juice and season with freshly ground black pepper.
- In a small bowl, make the yogurt sauce by combining the vegan yogurt with 1 tablespoon water and ground pink peppercorns (or sumac or sweet paprika)
- Using shallow soup bowls, place some of the avocado in the center of each bowl and top with the tomato mixture. (Use a ring mold for a more structured presentation)
- Sprinkle some chilled sweet peas around the avocado/tomato mold and ladle in the soup.
- Drizzle the soup with some crema and top the avocado/tomato mixture with mint sprigs.
