Who Wouldn't Want to Eat Spring?

Pea and Ramp Soup with Kefir

Spring has miraculously emerged over the past few weeks and to celebrate its arrival I made a soup to capture its essence. Even though peas are starting to pop up at the markets, I used frozen organic petite peas. Although I am not immensely proud of my usage of frozen peas, they are packaged at their peek, are simpler to use, more accessible than fresh and provide nice flavor.

Ramps, garlic and celery were sautéed in olive oil until lightly browned. A bag and a 1/2 of frozen peas were added and the pan was deglazed with a little north fork Pinot Blanc. Once warmed through, a container of organic low sodium vegetable stock was added and the soup was brought to a boil. The pot was removed from the heat and allowed to cool slightly. The soup was pureed using an immersion  blender,  (a regular blender can be used as well) until it reached the desired texture. The soup  was brought back to a simmer and served.

Garnished with kefir for texture and flavor and topped with some warmed whole peas.  

This soup is very simple, flavorful and low calorie. Peas provide more than 3 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup, are a plant-based protein and have iron. So… Pass the pea soup please!