Chilled English Pea Soup With Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For Peas
3 quarts water
salt
4 lbs fresh peas, shelled (4 cups shelled)
For Soup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
fresh ground pepper
For Croutons
1 cup cubed bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

FOR PEAS: Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.
Salt the water, then add the peas and bring the water back to a boil.
Cook over moderate heat until very tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain the peas, reserving the cooking liquid.
Set aside 1/4 cup of peas.
FOR SOUP: In a food processor, combine the remaining peas with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and puree until smooth.
Work the puree through a fine sieve into a large bowl.
Discard the contents of the sieve.
Stir in about 4 cups of the cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper; add more cooking liquid if necessary to make a nice, creamy soup.
Refrigerate the soup until cold, at least 2 hours.
FOR CROUTONS: In a large skillet, melt the butter in the vegetable oil.
Add the diced bread and brown the cubes on all sides over moderately high heat, 3 to 5 minutes.
Drain the croutons on paper towels.
TO SERVE: Ladle the cold soup into bowls and garnish each with a few of the croutons and reserved peas.
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and serve.
MAKE AHEAD: The soup can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated for up to 1 day.
The croutons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.