Fresh Green Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 1 kg Fresh green peas in pods (Approx. 2.2 lbs. Original calls for 'half a peck' which is very large; scaled for modern family size.)
• 1 liter Vegetable or Chicken Stock (Or cold water)
• 1 cup Fresh spinach (A handful)
• 4 sprigs Fresh parsley
• 12 leaves Fresh mint leaves
• 6 whole Green onions (scallions) (Small, fresh)
• 1 tbsp Butter (Optional, for roux)
• 1 tbsp All-purpose flour (Optional, for roux)

Instructions

1. 1Shell the peas, separating the green peas from the pods (shells). Place the shelled peas in a bowl of cold water and set aside. Keep the empty shells.
2. 2Place all the empty pea shells into a large pot with the stock (or water). Add the spinach, parsley sprigs, mint leaves, and green onions.
3. 3Bring the mixture to a boil and let it cook for at least one hour to extract flavor and soften the shells.
4. 4Rub the boiled mixture through a wire sieve or food mill into a clean pot. Press firmly to push through as much of the green pulp and liquid as possible, leaving only the fibrous strings and tough skins in the sieve. Discard the fibrous remains.
5. 5Return the strained green soup to the heat. Bring it to a boil. Drain the reserved raw peas and add them to the boiling soup.
6. 6Simmer the soup until the peas are tender, approximately 20 minutes.
7. 7If the soup is too thin, prepare a white roux by mixing equal parts butter and flour, then whisking it into the simmering soup until thickened. If the color is pale, the original recipe suggests adding spinach extract, but the fresh spinach used earlier should suffice.