Spring Pea Soup

Makes 4 to 6 servings

English peas are one of those ingredients that are fantastic when they’re super fresh, but quickly lose their flavor the longer they’re off the vine. Because this soup is all about showcasing the pea’s bright, sweet flavor, I would only use just-picked peas from the farmers market or a CSA (community-supported agriculture), or substitute frozen peas, which have locked in that flavor at its peak. If you see fresh peas at the grocery store, it’s guaranteed they’ll be disappointing. This is a great soup to serve in smaller portions as a starter to a decadent meal.

• 1 pound English peas, either very fresh or frozen
• 1 cup loosely packed tarragon leaves
• 2 cups loosely packed parsley
• 1½ cups loosely packed mint leaves
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (about 1½ cups)
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño chile (seeds removed)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, for zesting
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 4 radishes, cut into matchsticks
• 12 chive blossoms or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Bring a large saucepan full of heavily salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Blanch the peas until tender, 60 to 90 seconds. Transfer to the ice bath to cool, then transfer to a blender.

Working with one herb at a time, blanch the tarragon, parsley and mint for 8 to 10 seconds per batch and transfer to the ice bath. Then blanch the scallions for 15 seconds and transfer to the ice bath. When cool, transfer the herbs and scallions to the blender.

Add the jalapeño to the blender along with 2 cups water. Blend the soup until very smooth (this will take longer than you think), thinning it out with a little more water if needed. Pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until cold.

Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Drizzle some yogurt over each bowl and grate some lemon zest on top. Garnish with a sprinkle of radishes and chive blossoms (or chopped chives). Serve.

The Takeaway

This soup calls for a whopping 6 cups of fresh herbs, which means keeping their vibrant green color intact requires some work. Blanching the herbs will lock in their color and ever so slightly mellow their flavor, which will let them support—rather than dominate—the peas.

When you’re making this soup, it’s also a great time to blanch some extra herbs and freeze them for long-term storage. After they’ve been blanched and cooled, squeeze out as much water as possible, roughly chop them, then place them in small freezer bags, pushing the herbs to make a thin, even layer. When you want to use them (in a soup, stew, or sauce), simply break or snip off a piece.