Chilled Green Pea Soup with Crispy Shallots

Celebrate all the flavors of Spring with this fragrant, flavorful, healthy chilled soup. It makes a wonderful starter course or light lunch. This recipe makes 6 servings.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 10 minutes

Ingredients
For the crispy shallots:
3-4 large shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste

For the soup:
1 yellow onion, chopped
10 ounces shelled English peas, blanched OR 1 10-ounce package frozen peas, defrosted
2 cups vegetable stock
1 clove garlic, minced
Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, to taste
Creme fraiche, whole peas, shallot oil from the crispy shallots and fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Directions
Make the crispy shallots: Heat oil in a skillet to medium-high on the stove top. Add shallots and cook, turning with tongs every 15-20 seconds, until shallots are browned. Once browned, immediately remove shallots from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towels to drain. Let oil cool and reserve for a soup garnish.

Make the soup: Heat oil in a skillet to medium-high on the stove top. Add onion and cook until the onions become fragrant and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add cooked onions and garlic with oil to your food processor or blender along with the peas, stock, thyme and turmeric. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with salt as needed.

To serve, ladle some soup into a serving bowl. Garnish with whole peas, creme fraiche, shallots, shallot oil and mint leaves.