BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal
Anne Wiles and Molly Gingell paired this yummy summer soup with a new creation: Anne's Love Salad.
Chilled Spring Pea Soup
Easy way: Use sugar snaps and frozen baby peas. (That's what we did!)
8 slices bacon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Two 4-inch rosemary sprigs
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
One-half pound sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
Two 10-ounce boxes frozen baby peas
1⁄4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1. In a medium soup pot, cook the bacon over moderate heat until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate, pour off fat into a pot.
2. In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the celery, onion and leek and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock, 4 slices of the cooked bacon, 1 rosemary sprig and a pinch of salt and white pepper. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the bacon and rosemary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a blender.
3. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snaps and cook for 3 minutes. Add the frozen baby peas and the parsley and cook until heated through, about 1 minute; drain. Add the sugar snaps, baby peas, and parsley to the blender and puree until smooth, adding a few tablespoons of broth to loosen the mixture. Transfer the soup and remaining broth to a large bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water to cool.
4. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream, garlic, and remaining rosemary sprig to a boil. Simmer over low heat until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Strain the garlic cream into a bowl and let cool.
5. Ladle the chilled pea soup into bowls and drizzle with the garlic cream. Crumble the remaining 4 slices of bacon into each bowl and serve.
Anne's Love Salad
This is "love salad" because I always make it for people I love and everybody always loves it!
*I rarely use bottled salad dressing, but this one is an exception because it's fabulous!
1 head Boston lettuce
4 ounces goat cheese (soft)
One half cup toasted pine nuts
One half cup raisins
1 cup bean sprouts (chopped)
1 8 ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained
One and a half cups chow mein noodles
SoyVay ChaCha Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing
*Dress salad right before serving so the noodles stay crunchy!
Molly and Anne will have the chilled Spring Pea Soup available and for sale at the 3rd and Curry Farmer's Market on Saturday. We will also be passing samples of Anne's love salad during market hours (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Come visit us at the Farmers Market so you don't have to cook dinner on Saturdays! We've already done it for you.
- Molly Gingell is the owner of Molly's Gourmet Catering, takeout and cooking school at 220 W. John St. in CarsonCity.