This Soup is on the thin, almost drinkable, side. If that doesn’t appeal to you, use sour cream, perhaps a bit more than the quantity recommended here, or throw a peeled, diced potato in with the peas, which will give the final soup quite a bit of heft.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 pound peas in the pod, snow peas, or sugar snap peas (frozen are perfectly acceptable)

　　1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　2 tablespoons heavy or sour cream, or more to taste

　　Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

　　

Step 1

Combine the peas and stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the peas are bright green and tender, 10 minutes or so. Cool for a few minutes. If you’re using peas, remove some from their pods for garnish (refrigerate until serving).

　　

Step 2

Pour into a blender and carefully blend until pureed. Add salt and pepper to taste, then force through a fairly fine strainer, discarding the solids. Stir or whisk in the cream and refrigerate (up to 2 days) before serving cold. Garnish with the reserved peas or some parsley.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.