Long-ago recipe for French pea soup remains a treasure
In my much younger days I spent a summer working in Paris as part of an exchange program at the University of Louisville. My parents had hosted many of the French students who had come to U of L in prior years.
The mother of one of these students, Madame Chevé, nearly adopted me. I worked not far from their apartment, and would go often for dinner, arriving well before the rest of the family. She would give me small tasks to do to help in dinner preparation.
On a few occasions, one of the tasks was to shell fresh peas. This was not something I’d ever done before, but certainly not a difficult chore. Several times, she made a soup she called “Potage Saint-Germain.” I wrote down almost all her recipes, and when I came home, this was one I liked to make.
Later, in “classic” French cookbooks, I found recipes that were quite different. The peas were puréed, there were fewer vegetables, there was lots more butter¸ and often it was thickened with an egg yolk at the end.
But this is the version I’ve made all these years. I like to use arugula for the greens, because I like the slightly spicy flavor. Other greens, such as spinach, or even the green tops of romaine would work well.
This can be made more substantial with diced ham added after the soup has been puréed. The heavy cream makes it richer, but I prefer it without. I like to top it with crumbled bacon, but a dollop of sour cream, or a sprinkle of minced fresh herbs (whatever you used in the soup), or snipped chives would work just as well.
You can make the soup base as far as the blending well ahead and keep chilled. Then reheat the soup, add the peas and simmer briefly. What a great soup, then, for entertaining friends on a chilly March evening! Alyce Mantia Price owned Mantia’s International Foods in East Memphis for 13 years. She blogs about food at mantias.blogspot. com. You may contact her at alycem@msn.com.