Foodie Fridays: Cream of Pea Soup

For some reason, our freezer is full of bags of peas (about half a dozen at last count).  I decided it was high time to start using some of them up, and fortuitously a magazine I just bought had the perfect recipe to start this project.  Centennial Kitchen All-Time Favorite Soups & Stews is on newsstands now, and the timing is ideal, as just about everyone is in the throes of wintry weather at the moment that pretty much makes soups mandatory.  The recipe for Cream of Pea Soup is quick (it took me less than 30 minutes), easy, and made with ingredients that are always in my kitchen.  It also tastes wonderful!  There are similar recipes for cream of potato, mushroom, and celery soups that I will also have to make soon, as long as the frigid temperatures last.

Cream of Pea Soup

4 C. frozen peas, cooked
1 1/2 C. chicken stock, divided (I always use unsalted)
1 T. butter
1 T. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. milk
2-4 T. minced parsley (see Notes)

Set aside one cup of the peas.  Combine the remaining peas and 3/4 C. chicken stock in a food processor and process until smooth (see Notes).

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and salt and cook, whisking constantly, for about a minute.  Slowly add the milk, continuing to whisk constantly, until smooth.  Once the mixture is thickened and bubbly, cook one more minute.  Stir in the whole peas, puréed pea mixture, and the remaining 3/4 C. stock.  Cook and stir until well blended and heated through.  Stir in the parsley and serve.  Serves 4.

Notes:  The original recipe calls for 1/4 C. fresh parsley, but I used 2 T. refrigerated parsley paste that I always have in the fridge (I never seem to be able to use up fresh herbs before they go bad, so I usually use these pastes instead).  Instead of puréeing the peas and stock in a food processor, I microwaved the peas in a large bowl, added the stock to the bowl, and used my immersion blender to purée the mixture.  If you use this method, be careful because the immersion blender is really meant to be used in a flat-bottomed pot, so if your bowl has a curved bottom things could potentially get quite messy!