The Cleanout continues: pea soup with pesto

You know, it is beginning to amaze me as to how much food is in that damn freezer. I feel like I have been pulling stuff out for weeks, and there SHOULD be more room. But there ain't Blanche, there ain't. Now part of that may be because I keep putting things IN it. I couldn't resist some pork tenderloins. Or a skirt steak. And of course, more ice cream. Such is life. But this is one that I made that "killed 2 birds with one stone," as it were. I was working on using up the bulky items in the freezer, and in this case, that meant another bag of peas. BUT... I remembered that there are still cubes of pesto from my big pesto freeze last year.

When people think of pea soup, the "split" in front of it is assumed. It's supposed to be a thick , hearty soup ('that fog was as thick as pea soup'), usually with a ham component of some kind in it. Well, this one ain't. I think that basil gives things a smoky flavor, so there's where perhaps a "ham" component comes in here, but the soup is thick yet delicate. More to the point, this may very well be the easiest soup you will ever make. See if you spend more than thirty minutes doing it.

If, as I encourage you to do, you have your own frozen peas and pesto in the house, go to the front of the class. If you do not, oh well, buy some frozen organic peas, get some pesto (PLEASE READ THE LABEL AND MAKE SURE IT'S ALL NATURAL) and you'll have this on the table in half an hour. I mean it. Read through and you'll see.

You need an onion, on the small size, a carrot, also to the small end of things, and one celery rib. Slice the carrot and celery thinly, and chop the onion. You will also need 2 cups of chicken stock, or water, or vegetable stock as well as 2 cups of water in addition, if you use stock. You also need a good pound of peas. If you wind up with too many in your package, like an 18 ounce package or something like that, so what? Use em all. Finally, you need from 1/4 to 1/3 cup of pesto. I LOVE pesto, but in this soup, I would use the smaller amount.

Ready to cook? OK. Put the onion, carrot and celery in a pot and add the water and stock. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and, if you have fresh pepper around, a few grinds of it. Cover the pot, bring it to the simmer, and cok for about 6 minutes. Now add the peas, and another 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Little "trick of the trade." I don't think anyone knows why, but salt helps peas to keep their green color. Keep the cover off the pot now, and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

We're almost there. Let the stuff cool a bit, and then puree it all in a blender. I was surprised how well the pea skins pureed, but they did. Then, add the pesto. If you happen to have frozen pesto, heat the stuff up a bit, but if you're using it out of the jar, or, unlike Annalena, you had the foresight to thaw it, just stir it in.

And know what? You've got six cups of a beautiful green soup, that tastes so good, you'll want to make it again. And when you look at the work, or lack thereof (remember, Annalena is an attorney), that you spent on it, you will.

I really liked this one. I was surprised, but I did. It may very well become a regular on the menu. Make it yourself, and tell me how you like it.

And, by the way, don't cheat yourself. Have a nice, big piece of toasty garlic bread with this. Annalena approves