crying over by the fresh peas, that’s me.  It’s just what happens after holding a shoulder against a long, dark winter and all of a sudden in a heap of green on Aisle One, a window of Spring gets thrown wide open.

Fresh Pea Soup

This doesn’t even seem like it could be a distant cousin, much less the same vegetable as the more common dried pea soup.  Use two pounds of peas for six people.  Start by heating up a pan with a little olive oil; add three cloves of garlic, until they are golden.  Leave the garlic in the pan, and add one diced onion and if you have it, a single leek.  Cook over low heat until the onion is soft and lightly colored.  Add a few leaves of basil, and a few of mint. Add the peas, along with a little salt and pepper to taste.  Stir around for a bit, then add a few cups of stock, vegetable or chicken, the important thing being that the stock is home made.
For chicken stock, use a one pound pack of chicken bones.  You want to bring just the bones to a boil first, then throw away the water and start again.  This gets all the weird stuff out of the stock. Start again with the same bones, fresh water, a carrot, a celery stalk, a large onion, a piece of garlic, parsley, thyme, a few peppercorns, and possibly a fennel frond.  The trick with stock, is to skim it.  Whenever you pass by the stock pot, or happen to think about it, skim it.  You can let it simmer for anywhere from twenty minutes, to four hours.  The longer you cook it, the deeper the flavor.
Allow the stock to come just to a simmer, then puree half of the mixture until it is almost smooth.  Combine the two, and adjust your stock if the soup seems too thick.  Serve with parmesan and a little more fresh mint and basil.