Spring Pea Soup with Crispy Mushrooms

This is not your average split pea soup. Usually in the dead of winter, my mother would whip up a batch of split pea soup with a ham bone, and I’ve always loved it. But when it’s not cold out, With all of these seasonal ingredients incorporated into the dish, it definitely has a little “spring” in its step.

Total time: 40 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 16 oz bags of green split peas

1 leek, chopped

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped

1 cup of mint

2 cups of vegetable broth

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325. On a baking sheet, add the shiitake mushrooms and generously coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put them in the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until crispy, making sure toss them every 10 minutes.

2. Cover split peas with water (about 2 inches above the split peas).

3. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and add the leeks and asparagus. Return to a boil again and boil for 3 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 8-10 minutes.

4. Return to a simmer, and add in the broth, mint salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth.

5. Add and stir in the olive oil. Season to taste.

6. Divide the soup amongst 4-6 bowls and top with the crispy mushrooms.