Although we've been blessed with a mild winter, I was craving some kind of comfort food. I wanted something creamy, smooth on the palate, quite fast and easy to prepare, as well as highly appeasing.
I set for a bowl of tasty soup to hold in my hands and eat on the couch while relaxing after a stressful day.
It had been a grey, rainy day; everywhere I turned people were repeating again and again "we needed rain, we hardly had any rain this winter!", and although I knew they were right, I didn't care, I never liked rain. At work the time had passed slow and uneventful; my feet were wet from the unavoidable puddles my boots had stepped in, I had the "humid" chills and the train ride back home had seemed longer than usual. Moreover, trying to talk to my husband on the phone had been extremely difficult, due to time differencies and line problems. Really, the kind of day when you need a warm hug and an amicable smile (after you've put warm socks on your feet).
The idea of a soup came to mind almost immediate (at just a tiny distance from "chocolate", which was my first thought, but being supper time I decided to go for a healthy and appropriate meal 😉 ).
I had a jar of organic peas and some soy cream, perfect starting point to create a velvety Cream of Pea Soup. All the other ingredients were added according to taste and what I had in my pantry and fridge. In less than 30 minutes I was enjoying my soul food of the day.
I sautéed minced shallot and garlic in butter, then added the peas and ginger with a pinch of salt and a grating of black pepper. I covered it in vegetable broth and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. In the meantime I cut the kamut bread in cubes and tossed it in the pan with a pat of butter until golden and crispy. Right after that, I puréed the soup with the soy cream until I felt it was just the right consistency. When I poured it in the bowls, I had fun with the toppings. Walnuts and kamut crostini for the sweet, nutty and buttery crunch, cranberries for the sweet and tangy chewiness, pinch of dried basil for an additional level of flavor, splash of soy cream for contrasting color and extra smoothness.
You can choose regular bread and switch to whipping cream (or half and half cream). Or if you want to make it vegan replace the butter I used for sautéeing the vegetables and toss the bread with extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter.
It is a quick, filling and flavorful recipe to be made in the busy weekdays and that will help you use up some of the ingredients that are sitting in your fridge and pantry.
I arranged two bowls, only for shooting necessity, being alone I only needed one. The second one became my lunch in a tupperware for the next day. Even cold was good!
After dinner, a rough kitchen clean-up, the usual Skype chat with my hubby, some innocuous channel surfing on the couch and I was ready to call it a day.
Here's to my meatless Mondays and the rest of the week as well 😉 .
Song of the day: "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin, a marvellous classic.
PrintCream of Pea Soup
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ shallot, minced
- ½ garlic clove, minced
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 250 g canned or frozen peas, drained and rinsed
- ½ tsp ginger, grated
- 400 ml vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp dried cranberries
- 1 Tbsp walnuts, chopped
- 1 slice of gluten-free bread (I used Kamut)
- 75 ml vegetable cream (I used soy cream)
- pinch dried basil
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over low medium heat and sautée the shallot and garlic.
- Add the grated ginger and the peas, salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with the vegetable broth (leave some), bring it to a boil then lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Chop the walnuts and mix with the dried cranberries. Set aside.
- Cut the bread in cubes. In another pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and cook the bread turning it often in order to get it golden and crispy. Remove from the pan, let the cubes drain on a paper towel and set aside.
- Purée the pea soup in a mixer with the vegetable cream, adding a bit more vegetable broth, if too dense, or putting it back on the stove for a little longer, if too runny.
- Place in a bowl. Sprinkle with walnuts and cranberries, swirl a little more cream and dust with the dried basil. Top with the crostini and enjoy!
Notes
Legumes provide good quality protein, minerals and vitamins, They are rich in energy-giving carbohydrates, with a low glycemic index rating for blood glucos control and are abundant in fibre.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 servings
Ricetta in italiano:
PrintVellutata di Piselli
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ scalogno, tritato
- ½ spicchio d'aglio, tritato
- 2 cucchiai di burro
- 250 g piselli in lattina o surgelati, scolati e passati sotto l'acqua
- 1 cucchiaino di zenzero fresco, grattugiato
- 400 ml di brodo vegetale
- 1 cucchiaio di mirtilli rossi, secchi
- 1 cucchiaio di noci, tritate
- 1 fetta di pane in cassetta (io ho usato pane di Kamut)
- 75 ml di panna da cucina (io usato quella vegetale di soya)
- 1 pizzico di basilico secco, tritato
- sale pepe q.b.
Instructions
- Riscalda 1 cucchiaio di burro in un tegame e fai rosolare lo scalogno e l'aglio tritati.
- Aggiungi i piselli e lo zenzero.
- Copri con il brodo (lasciane un po' da parte) e porta ad ebollizione, poi abbassa la fiamma e fai sobbollire per circa 10 minuti.
- Taglia la fetta di pane in cassetta a cubetti e falli rosolare nel resto del burro a fiamma moderata, mescolando spesso.
- Appena i cubetti sono dorati e croccanti, mettili a sgocciolare su carta da cucina.
- Riduci la zuppa in purea insieme alla panna. Nel caso la purea fosse troppo densa aggiungi un po' di brodo, e nel caso sia troppo liquida falla cuocere ancora qualche minuto.
- Insaporisci con sale e pepe.
- Versa la zuppa nelle scodelle, poi guarnisci con i crostini, le noci tritate, i mirtilli rossi, la panna e un pizzico di basilico secco tritato.
- Servi subito.
Notes
Tutti i legumi contengono proteine, ma anche buone quantità di amido, forniscono un discreto numero di calorie e rappresentano un'ottima fonte di energia. Inoltre contengono tanta fibra, pochi grassi e tanti minerali.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 porzioni
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Ciao Nicoletta! I wanted to stop by and say hello personally. I'm glad you stopped by and introduced yourself. I love all things Italian -- naturally -- I'm Italian!! From the sounds of it your husband likes to spend time in the kitchen along with you?? Same as my husband who retired a few years ago and decided he likes cooking almost as much as I do. Six months out of the year we travel -- our home is in Bloomington, Indiana -- and hubby fishes when he can and I try to find interesting recipes. Also I'm fairly new to photography so I'm studying up on that plus Lightroom and Photoshop. I won't bore you with the details. I love your soup -- mamma and papà loved their soups so I was raised on minestra. I am excited about making a new friend. Buona giornata!!
I am so happy you stopped by and hooray to a new friendship! I live the winter months in Italy, where I still work and have my family, but away from my adorable ital-Canadian husband 🙁 , while the rest of the year we live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (which is way colder than Rome, but lovely 🙂 . Yes, my husband cooks too and writes half of the posts, I'm the baker and photographer (and I'm still learning Photoshop and Lightroom, too). Come back! I'll definitely keep commenting on your blog. A presto!
Meaghan says
I have to admit I love the rain, even the bone chilling winter rain, and miss it desperately now that I live in Edmonton. This soup looks like the warm hug you needed! The addition of the cranberries as a topping sounds delicious. Can't wait to try this soup 🙂
Thank you Meaghan for stopping by. You live in Edmonton, too, that is fantastic! No, rain is one of the few things I don't miss when I'm in Edmonton 😉 . I loved this soup, it had well balanced flavors, and it sure warmed me up. Hope you try it and let me know.
Lauren @ Lauren Caris Cooks says
This looks absolutely stunning!! Pea soup is one of my favourite kinds of soups, never disappoints! Your pictures are stunning! I'm so glad you stopped by my blog to say hello! Look forward to lots more of your recipes 🙂
Thank you for stopping by our blog and say Hello. I love your website and I think your pictures are stunning! As for the soup, it is lovely, really. If you like pea soups, hope you give it a try.
Jamie Lockman says
Hi Nicoletta - What a pretty post! I would like to clarify that KAMUT(R) wheat has gluten.
KAMUT® Brand khorasan is an organic, non-genetically modified, ancient wheat variety similar to durum. In 1990, “KAMUT” was registered as a trademark by the Quinn family in order to support organic farming and preserve the ancient khorasan wheat variety. Under the KAMUT® Brand name, this khorasan wheat must always be grown organically, never be hybridized or modified, and contain high levels of purity and nutrition. Today, Kamut International owns and has registered the KAMUT® trademark in over 40 countries, and is responsible for the protection and marketing of all KAMUT® Brand khorasan wheat throughout the world.
KAMUT® wheat is grown on dryland certified organic farms primarily in Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Khorasan wheat is distinctive because it is about two and half times larger than regular durum wheat, is elongated with a pronounced “hump,” and is uniquely vitreous, with a rich golden color. The grain is prized by consumers who appreciate the grain for its high energy nutrition, easy digestibility, nutty/buttery taste, and firm texture. KAMUT® khorasan wheat is higher in protein, lipids, selenium, amino acids, and Vitamin E than most modern wheat and contains essential minerals such as magnesium and zinc. It is used as whole grain berries, whole grain flour, white flour, flakes, and puffs to make a variety of products. Some specific benefits of using KAMUT® khorasan are receiving more nutrients, protein, and taste than most commonly consumed whole wheat - plus supporting organic agriculture and helping to preserve an ancient grain.
Khorasan is a variety of wheat thus has gluten content. A lot of people who are not able to tolerate wheat tell us that they are able to tolerate KAMUT® khorasan wheat. KI has ongoing research to understand why – it is our theory that because KAMUT® khorasan is an ancient grain, it retains the qualities that made it desirable so many years ago.
KAMUT® wheat has never been modified or altered in any way. It has been found to reduce inflammation and improve conditions of those suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and heart disease. In fact, a study recently published in the journal Nutrients revealed that a KAMUT® khorasan wheat-based replacement diet actually improves the risk profile of patients with ACS (acute coronary syndrome). A previous study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a KAMUT® khorasan wheat-based replacement diet could potentially reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in healthy people. And a third study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed a significant reduction in symptoms associated with IBS. In all three of these published reports, KAMUT® wheat products were compared to modern wheat products in double-blind crossover studies with human volunteers. Earlier this year, KAMUT® wheat was named by TIME magazine as one of the top 50 healthiest foods of all time.
Please visit the Kamut International website at http://www.kamut.com to learn more. And follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with the latest news!
My kind regards - Jamie
Jamie Ryan Lockman | Regional Director – North America
Kamut International, Ltd.
P.O. Box 4903 | Missoula, MT 59806 | USA
406.251.9418 phone | 406.251.9420 fax
jamie.lockman@kamut.com | http://www.kamut.com
Thank you so much Jamie for stopping by and leaving your comment and clarifying that Kamut is not gluten-free although very well tolerated by gluten-intolerant people. I use Kamut flour a lot in my baking and I buy many products that use kamut flour. I love it!