Spring Pea Soup

We had dinner at Foodie’s on Wednesday.

She pulled a rabbit out of her hat.

The crab she planned to use for the soup she made was not as fresh as it should be. Fresh crab should smell sweet and this crab had a strong, fishy smell, so she improvised with chopped artichokes, diced peppers and peas instead! We didn’t know the difference. It was all good.

The inspiration for this ladled goodness was the Spring Pea Soup she had at Stateside, her new favorite restaurant located at 1536 E. Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia. The name Stateside is perfect for this quaint 28-seat (plus 12 bar stools) gastropub because the mostly small-plate menu focuses on locally-sourced products and showcases ingredients and techniques common to the United States….food and spirits. I love that the building used to be home to a dry cleaner!

The Spring Pea Soup at Stateside is served with lump crab salad, mint, and garnished with yogurt. Although Foodie’s makeshift version featured delicious substitutions, we all agreed that the soup would be amazing with the crab salad, or perhaps even a surprise (and sunken) crab cake!

Spring Pea Soup

1. Sauté leeks, onions and shallots in a little butter…mix it up but ½ cup total. Add 2 cups of chicken broth cook for 40 minutes.

2. Add 3-4 cups of fresh shelled peas and cook for a few minutes more. Puree with an immersion blender and then strain the mixture through a sieve….catching all the chunky stuff and leaving behind the velvety liquid.

3. Add chopped tarragon and mint (to taste), 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/8 cup heavy cream.

4. Place chopped artichokes, peppers and peas in a bowl and ladle the soup on top. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream (or yogurt) and a sprig of mint!

The soup can be served warm or cold…Foodie served it cold.

We also enjoyed a great Malbec from Argentina (I should have brought a U.S. wine to complement the theme!) and fresh strawberries (locally grown) with cream for dessert.