Tangy Cold Pea Soup (vegan and not vegan)

Last weekend, a friend had a bunch of women over to her backyard to make preserved lemons and dolmades, and infuse bottles and bottles of alcohol with herbs, spices, fruits and flowers. It was a glorious event and I’ll be posting about it soon.

For a week previous to the gathering, I had been trying to find a cold pea soup recipe to put on the Decadent Eight Course Vegan Tasting Menu for the Illuminati Ball. My usual spring time pea soup (a gem of a recipe given to me by my friend Paul) is more rustic than refined, is not vegan and is served warm.

I mentioned my quest for a cold pea soup recipe to the women as they rolled dolmades and, within a minute, my problem was solved! This recipe is from my friend Genevieve, or rather from her mother, Christiane. This simply proves that, as wonderful as the internet is, there is simply no substitute for spending time with other home cooks making dolmades and talking about what their eating and what their mothers are eating.

I spent the next week finding the best way to make a vegan version of Christiane’s pea soup. Both versions are delicious and simple. You do need to soak cashew for the vegan version though. It might be worth the trouble even if you are not vegan as my taste taster (my husband) who is not vegan preferred the dairy free version!

TANGY COLD PEA SOUP (from Christiane)

300Gr organic frozen peas (1 and ½ cups)
375Gr Bulgarian yogurt or Labne yogurt (13 oz)
3 branches of dill
3 branches of mint
1/3 cup chopped onion (more or less as you wish)
A good amount of salt and pepper
About a cup of very cold water

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until totally smooth and fluffy. Resist the urge to add more water. The soup is best quite thick. Genevieve suggests serving this soup with gravlax toast!

TANGY COLD PEA SOUP (vegan)

Makes 3 cups

2 cups cold water
½ cup raw cashews
300 gr organic frozen peas (1 and ½ cups)
1/4 cup strained lemon juice
3 Tablespoons Shiro miso
3 branches of dill
3 branches of mint
¼ cup chopped red onion (more or less as you wish)
A good amount of pepper

Soak the cashews in the water for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Combine the cashews along with their soaking water in a blender along with all of the other ingredients and process until totally smooth. Resist the urge to add more water. The soup is best quite thick.
Serve cold. I like to garnish it with shredded radish and snips of dill.

MORE PEAS AND COLD SOUPS…