This morning I walked out of the house in a hurry on the way to work...
without a jacket, sweater or anything...arms exposed and chilly. I thought it was supposed to warm up, so I wasn't that concerned. It did not! I was cold all day and wanting something warm and comforting for dinner. Soup came to mind and in particular a soup that I had made for our Downton Abbey finale dinner recently (with sweet friends Lori and Bailey Baynham) from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines. I was shy many a main ingredient, so I determined the primary substitutions to be peas and basil. The proportions are quite different too, but it works. Neil (my husband) said it was dangerously good and to indeed serve it again. I will be keeping a bag of frozen peas standing by at the ready... for when I start craving delicious, heartening soup again.
Cream
of Basil Pea Soup
1
pound bag frozen green peas - defrosted
½
cup unsalted butter
3
shallots – finely minced
1
teaspoon kosher salt
6
tablespoons all-purpose flour
4
cups vegetable stock
1
teaspoon white pepper
2
tablespoons tamari sauce
15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then
thinly slice – chiffonade (reserve 2 teaspoons for garnish)
½
cup heavy cream
½ cup sour cream, plus additional for garnish
Method
· Melt
butter in pan
· Add
shallots and sauté until soft (6 to 8 minutes), stirring frequently
· Add peas
and salt; continue stirring until heated through (2 minutes)
· Add
flour; continue stirring until incorporated
· Add stock,
pepper, tamari sauce and basil and continue stirring until thickened
· Add cream,
turn off heat
· Puree
mixture with an immersion blender or in small batches in a blender and return to pan
· Remove
one cup of mixture and stir in sour cream
· Add
back to soup, stir gently and heat through, pour into serving dishes, garnish with
a dollop of sour cream and reserved basil
Enjoy
~CGJ
Sounds delicious Cindy! A great idea for a Spring warm up!
ReplyDeleteThank you Gail, would love to share with y'all!
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