Market Mash Up is a regular feature in which The Food Scribe takes a group of fresh, seasonal products from a local farmers market and creates a recipe around them with the help of friends, farmers, chefs and readers.
During a brief break in the rain on Sunday morning, I found spring nirvana, a.k.a. pea shoots, at the Gardeners’ Gourmet stand at the Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market.
I have always been curious about how to cook them, and because of the weather, I was thinking soup, not salad. I was looking for something light and tonic-like for supper because we spent the weekend with friends from out of town, stuffing ourselves and showing off the amazing burgers from Quarry House Tavern in Silver Spring, killer smoky shrimp tacos from Taqueria Poblano in Alexandria and way too much alcohol all around.
Many recipes I found on the web called for pea shoots in a stir fry, but I was set on something easy to make without lots of chopping or having to clean up a stove full of grease.
I chose some plain yogurt from the Highfield Dairy, thyme from one of the herb vendors (sorry, forgot to write down who’s), fresh green garlic from Tree & Leaf’s stand, and thought about how that salty pancetta in the fridge would complement the grassy, sweet taste of the pea shoots. A quick recipe was born.
It’s not thick and hammmy, like wintry pea soup, but thin and delicate, with a nice balance of flavor. It can help keep your spirits up when its the 6th rainy and cold night in May in a row.
Pea Shoot Soup
1/2 lb. fresh pea shoots, a couple stems reserved for garnish
3-4 cups good chicken stock
1 cup water
6 slices pancetta
1 T. butter
1/3 cup chopped green garlic, white parts only (use about 1 T. if you’re not using fresh)
2 T. fresh thyme
1/4 c. heayy cream
Several spoonfuls of fresh, plain yogurt
In a large pot, render the pancetta fat and pull out the crispy bits. Set them aside on a paper towel for later use in topping the soup.
Add butter to the pot and when it finishes sizzling, drop in the garlic and stir for about 2 or 3 minutes when it starts to soften and lightly brown.
Pour in stock and water, bring to a boil.
When boiling, add pea shoots and turn down to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool briefly before whizzing in the blender or combining with a stick blender.
Stir in cream and thyme, return pot to heat until it begins to steam.
To serve, put 2 T. yogurt in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle pea soup over top, sprinkle with pancetta bits and decorate with a reserved pea shoot.
Serves 6.
