Chilled Summer Avocado Pea Soup
Chilled Summer Avocado Pea Soup is a delightful summer time or any time meal! Creamy, sweet and savory, this soup is quick and easy to make. I like to serve it topped with a dollop of sour cream and a drizzle of crunchy garlic oil.
Avocado
The avocado is a versatile fruit that has both culinary and cosmetic applications. Botanically, it is a large berry containing a large seed. Commercially, it is picked while immature and ripens after harvesting. When ripe, the fruit flesh is high in fat content and has a buttery texture. The flesh quickly turns brown when exposed to air due to enzymatic browning. Lemon juice counters this safe but unappealing coloring.
Avocado is a super fruit beneficial to overall health and skin conditions. Avocado oil is used for cooking, but is also in skin care products. It is added to cosmetic formulations for moisture creams, salves, and sunscreens. The oil helps to hydrate skin and ease inflammation. The next time you make guacamole, save some for a beauty mask!
Peas
Like avocados, peas are fruit. All types of podded green peas from string beans to snap peas grow from a flower based plant. A pea is the spherical seed or the seed-pod of Pisum sativum. The entire pea plant is edible and consumed in a variety of ways. Stir fried tender young shoots, vine tendrils, or pods are an Asian favorite. The same parts added raw to salad offer a sweet crunch. Side dishes or casseroles use boiled peas. Hydrated dried peas make thick soups or stews. Pureed peas added to pesto makes a sweet savory herbaceous sauce. Try it on a baked potato or pasta such as my Pea Pesto Chickpea Pasta!
Serve it Up!
Chilled Summer Avocado Pea Soup is a beautiful gourmet meal that can be made ahead of time. The recipe is easy for home cooks of any age to whip up and wow family and guests.
Chilled Summer Avocado Pea Soup
Equipment
- Blender
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp coriander seeds
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- salt to taste
- 1½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
- ½ medium sized cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ medium sized cucumber, peeled and finely diced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 ⅔ cup cold water
- 1 small green chili, seeded and finely diced
- ¼ cup sour cream
- dill fronds
Instructions
MAKE THE CUCUMBER GARNISH
- Place diced cucumbers into a bowl. Add diced green chili, 1 tbsp. lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Place into the fridge to cool and marinate.
MAKE THE CRUNCHY GARLIC OIL
- NOTE: Cumin is a strong flavor. Too much will create a bitter and noxious overtone to the dish. In small amounts, it adds aroma and sweetness. I suggest that you start with ¼ tsp. of seeds and add more according to your palate. Cumin powder can be substituted. It is more concentrated. Start with ⅛ tsp. The same applies to coriander which is not as strong as cumin but could overwhelm a dish if not applied carefully. Having said that – don't fear the spices! They add a wonderful aroma and intrigue to the soup.
- NOTE: Garlic oil is delicious served over a baked potato or pasta. Make extra and keep in a sealed jar in the fridge. It should keep for a week.
- Add 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to a small saucepan.
- Add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, garlic and a pinch of salt.
- Cook over a low heat for about 6 minutes, stirring often, until garlic is soft. Do not let the garlic brown or burn. Monitor the temperature of the oil. If it bubbles, remove the pan from the heat and return it when the oil has lowered in temperature. If the garlic begins to brown, remove the pan from the heat and return it when the temperature has lowered. When the garlic can be mashed with the back of a spoon, remove the oil and the garlic from the pan and place into a container to cool.
MAKE THE SOUP
- Add peas, avocado, cucumber chunks, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, lemon zest, 2 tbsp. olive oil, and 1 cup water to the blender. Puree into a smooth soup. In increments, add salt to taste. Pulse a pinch at a time into the soup. Add more water to thin soup to a satisfactory texture.
- Place blender of soup into the fridge to chill. This allows time for the flavors to meld, especially the aromatic sweet brightness of the lemon zest. The soup can keep for 2 days before losing its luster. When ready to serve, pulse the soup to blend and refreshen the flavors.
- NOTE: Enzymatic browning is a chemical reaction of compounds in food with oxygen. It is safe, but doesn't look appealing. Avocado will turn brown when exposed to air. The addition of lemon juice in the soup helps to stop this. Keep the blender lid on the vessel. A piece of plastic wrap placed directly on top of the soup will help to keep the color.
SERVE IT UP!
- Divide the chilled soup into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, the diced cucumber condiment, garlic oil and a large sprig of dill.