This is a good way to make the most of a small amount of peas (or favas). Serve alongside some wild mushrooms sautéed with a little dice of bacon for an easy springtime starter. By the way, if, in a following life, I could come back as any vegetable, I think I would be a fava bean, so I could slumber inside that velvety soft pod. Just a thought.

Ingredients

　　2 tablespoons butter

　　1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped

　　1 cup Vegetable Stock (p. 204) or water

　　1 sprig tarragon

　　1/4 teaspoon salt

　　1 cup shelled, blanched English peas, or blanched, peeled fresh fava beans (for blanching technique, see p. 118)

　　Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the Vegetable Stock, tarragon, and salt, and simmer until onion is very tender, another 10 minutes. Add the peas or favas and cook about 3 more minutes. Cool slightly, discard tarragon, and puree in a blender to create a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings.

　　Cooks' Note

　　As with the other vegetable purees, this can be thinned to sauce consistency with a little stock, water, or cream.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.