I have been loving seeing so many shades of green at the farmers’ market, what with all the green peas, leeks, fennel, asparagus, green garlic and more that’s now in season.
That inspired me to share my Spring Green Soup with you. It’s a simple, light, super healthy soup. I used to make a version of it for my kids when they were little as a way of getting good, nutritious vegetables into their little tummies. (Scrambled eggs with spinach also worked!) I would read the Dr. Seuss book “Green Eggs and Ham” while they ate this soup, paired with cheesy toast.
What vegetables does the soup have?
The soup contains spring vegetables like asparagus, green peas, leeks and green garlic. I have had an innate love for green garlic ever since I was a child; the smell is intoxicating. When it’s in season, I add it to as many recipes as I can in place of garlic cloves. (It’s also pretty easy to grow in a pot at home.)
The best part is you can easily cook and serve this soup within 30 minutes.
What are the ingredients of the Spring Green Soup?
The ingredients of the Spring Green Soup are:
- Cashews : cashews are soaked in hot water to soften, and provide depth and creaminess to the soup
- Olive oil
- Green Garlic : green garlic comes for 2 months starting March and ends by April end, so get your green garlic while the season lasts! You can also grow your green garlic, as mentioned in this post.
- Asparagus
- Green Peas
- Leeks :Leeks provide the mild onion flavor to the soup
- Coriander seeds : Coriander seeds are toasted, and then ground to impart the earthy flavor to the soup
- Sumac : Sumac is a popular Middle-Eastern spice that comes from grinding dried sumac berries.
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable Stock
- Thyme
- Greek yogurt
How is the Spring Green Soup made?
Start off by toasting coriander seeds, which imparts an earthy fragrance and ups the flavor. Place them in a dry pan and toast on medium heat for about 3 minutes, nudging them occasionally, until you can smell the spice. They will turn a shade darker as well. Coarsely grind them in a mortar pestle or in a spice blender.
Then I saute green garlic in olive oil, followed by other chopped vegetables and spices like sumac.
What is sumac?
Used in Middle Eastern cooking, and now readily available in major grocery stores, the maroon-red spice sumac is earthy, tangy, smokey and lemony. It is made from grinding dried sumac berries. Sumac is linked here.
The cooked vegetables and vegetable stock go into a blender, and I also like to add cashews that have been soaked in hot water and Greek yogurt to give the soup body and flavor.
What kind of pot do you use to make the soup?
I use a dutch oven for making soups. The one that I have is linked here. It is an investment but I have gotten a lot of use from this dutch oven, and it is an evergreen item in the kitchen.
How do I garnish/decorate the Spring Green Soup?
When I garnish soups, I like to save a bit of the ingredients to place on top as a way to showcase what is in the soup. For this spring green soup, I use asparagus shavings, a few green peas, sprouts for aesthetics and a pinch of sumac. But garnishing is totally optional.
What is my favorite way to serve the soup?
My favorite way to serve this Spring Green Soup is with cheese garlic toast — essentially shredded cheese melted onto crispy toast — made with Fontina, Gruyere, along with green garlic.
The cookies are fairly simple to make. The dough is made in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. The dough is set in the fridge for a bit before rolling out the dough, and using a fluted cutter or a round cutter to cut them out into rounds. The round cutter set that I have is linked here.
Other spring recipe inspirations that are on my blog are:
- Gujarati Samosas filled with Green Peas and Green Garlic
- Carrot and Chai Masala Cake with Pistachio Cream Cheese Frosting
- Fennel, Green Peas and Green Garlic Risotto
IF you do make it, please do not forget to comment on this blog post, and on the Instagram post as well. Please tag #thejamlab if you make it.
XO
Amisha
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Spring Green Soup
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup hot water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 green garlic stalk, finely chopped
- 12 asparagus stalks, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 leek, washed, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and chopped
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground toasted coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 32 ounces unsalted vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 stalks asparagus, trimmed and thinly shaved lengthwise
- Green peas
- Sprouts
- Sprinkle of sumac
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Method
- In a small bowl, combine the cashews and water. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a large pot on medium to high heat, add the olive oil. After 30 seconds, add the green garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add the asparagus, leeks and green peas, and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly soft.
- Add the coriander, sumac, salt and pepper, and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the stock and thyme, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
- Meanwhile, drain the cashews.
- Add the hot asparagus mixture, cashews and yogurt to a high-speed blender, and blend to a smooth consistency.
- Pour the hot soup into four bowls.
- Meanwhile, mix the yogurt and lemon juice to form a heavy cream-like consistency.
- Add a few drops of the yogurt mixture into the soup. Using a toothpick, form a figure 8 to make an abstract pattern in the soup.
- Garnish with the shaved asparagus, a few green peas, sprouts and a sprinkle of sumac. Serve immediately.
