Peas + Cream = Soup


This pea soup is made of just two ingredients: sugar snap peas and "half and half." That's if you don't count salt and water as real ingredients, and I don't. So: I put about three cups of whole pea pods, 1/4 cup of water, and a sprinkle of salt in a 2 qt saucepan, covered it, brought the water to a boil and steamed the peas for about two minutes. Then I added enough half and half to almost cover the peas, brought it to a simmer, and cooked for just about a minute before removing the whole thing from the heat. I whirred it with an immersion blender, and voila! Soup for two! Because I love the fancy touches, I put a blob of pea shoots on top for a garnish, but that third ingredient was a flourish I didn't really need.

A quick note about half and half: When you make a soup of only two ingredients, they both have to be great in order for the soup to be great. I used half and half from Milk Thistle, which is an organic dairy that doesn't homogenize their milk. The half and half literally has half cream floating on top, and it's delicious.

I find commercial (or so-called regular) half and half to be a sort of weird product. It has been homogenized at incredibly high pressure, and it can taste kind of "cooked".

If you have access to cream from grass-fed cows, by all means, splurge, and make your own half and half by adding equal parts milk and cream.

2 comments:

Ellie said...

www.fromearthtokitchen.com

Greenmarket delivery with no emissions and no commissions

With From Earth to Kitchen, long-time Greenmarket employees have begun bicycle delivery at the Union Square Greenmarket.

Lime-green tricycles started appearing in early June in Union Square, emblazoned with the image of a radish-toting cyclist. This bike is an exclusive on-demand delivery bike for the Greenmarket market with no mark-ups. Chefs and other clients shop at the market and simply call the bike to deliver their shopping straight to their kitchens. The idea of zero-emission delivery emerged when a long-time employee of the Greenmarket saw that farmers lost customers because they couldn't feasibly deliver. Restaurants and other large clients would either skip the local produce all together or limit their shopping based on what they could carry. A delivery bike could be a bridge between farmers and restaurants, expanding the reach of local produce in the city, meanwhile increasing support for local sustainable farmers. "Through developing relationships over the years with farmers, chefs and regular customers at the Greenmarket, I've long noticed many farmers turning down large orders and many chefs not shopping for local produce because it was too difficult to get back to the restaurant." said one of the founders, Mosab Qashoo. "Chefs really enjoy coming out to the market and talking to their farmers, but delivery back to their restaurants is always an issue." In addition to chefs and other bulk buyers, many people are effectively barred from fresh local produce due to mobility issues. The mobility impaired, the pregnant and the elderly now have increased access to delicious farmer's market produce.

Farmers are reluctant to use their farm vehicles for deliveries as they travel up to five hours each way, they have trouble with city traffic and they also have to battle to find parking outside their clients' restaurants. Bicycle delivery side-steps these problems while saving time for both farmers and chefs, and releasing no carbon emissions. Chefs wont have to wait curbside in all weather conditions when they could be spending time in their kitchens. They also can be assured their produce will be delivered in tact, as we will use the farmer's special containters for their produce, unlike in a lane-weaving yellow cab.

The delivery bikes, on their days off, will be used for compost pick-up throughout the city, completing the cycle From Earth to Kitchen and From Kitchen to Earth. "Currently, only a handful of restaurants compost their sizable amounts of food scraps. There is a huge unexplored opportunity to do something great for the planet here." Said another founder, Ellie Kahn. From Earth to Kitchen is also planning to create solar-powered refrigeration for their bicycles, easing the transport of highly perishable items such as fish, meat and milk. Being solar powered, refrigeration would be strongest on the hottest, sunniest days, ensuring that customers receive the freshest produce possible.


Contact: Ellie@fromearthtokitchen.com
www.fromearthtokitchen.com

Robin said...

Hi Ellie! Thanks for posting this information. I've been seeing the Earth to Kitchen bikes around the market. Looks like its off the a great start.