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
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.
Cover split peas with water (about 2 inches above the split peas).
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.
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.
Add and stir in the olive oil. Season to taste.
Divide the soup amongst 4-6 bowls and top with the crispy mushrooms.