Pea Soup

A while ago my friend Robert teased me that everything I make has peas in it. It's true, I do love peas, specifically petite peas. As a kid, my sister Barbara would literally cry when peas were served. One dinner, my mother coerced her to eat the peas and Barbara threw-up. It was very dramatic. Maybe they were not petite peas but common peas that are mealy and starchy. Yuck. It is petite peas or nothing!

As the weather has finally cooled, it is clearly pea soup season. I pondered peas soup a few weeks ago and while thinking of my tried and true pea soup recipe I wondered why I mindlessly followed along and used dried peas. So I pulled out a bag of frozen petite peas and winged it. The results were very satisfying. And now, as I dream up a Thanksgivings Day feast, I believe I will add this soup to the menu. I guess I better figure out how I made it!

Tonight I tried to make the soup a second time, which wasn't such a stretch since it is intended to be simple. Onions, carrots, thyme, ham, s&p, stock and pureed peas! It tasted fresh and clean but I think I would like to try it with a food mill, to really smooth out the peas, and maybe a touch of cream. Now that I think about it, I'd better try out a few more recipes for Thanksgiving.