Finally Spring is here and you can feel the warmth in the air.  I still enjoy having soup now and then in the warm months but I like them light. This little creation came to me the other day.  I ran into a situation where I didn’t have any celery, so I figured I would use some broccoli instead.  The taste of these 2 main ingredients really worked out so well. It’s a must try soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (16oz) Bag of Green Split Peas

2 Small crowns of Broccoli, chopped

7 Cups of Water

Salt & Black Peppercorn (to taste)

2 Carrots, chopped

1 Small Onion

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter

1/2 Cup of Heavy Cream (Optional)

1/2 Teaspoon of Cumin

1/4 Teaspoon of Coriander

Dash of Cayenne (optional)

Preparation:

Look through your peas and make sure there are no bad peas. Rinse and set aside. In a 4qt pot on medium heat add Oil and Butter. When butter is melted add onions and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes or so.  Add peas, broccoli, carrots, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Stir let the veggies sweat out for about 5 to 6 minutes.  Start to add cups of water. bring to a boil and lower heat and cook for an 1hr 1/2.  Stir half way through. When done place soup in blender with heavy cream and blend until you have a nice smooth creamy consistency. Top with some red pepper garnish or whatever you would like.

Note: You don’t have to add the cream to this soup and you can also enjoy as is without the blending process.