Ever since the Rescuers Down Under, which I watched repeatedly from the age of 8 onwards, I have been enthralled with the idea of pea soup.  All they needed was one pea, and lots of little contraptions for their little mouse restaurant on top of a chandelier in a fancy restaurant.

Mi padre has been very busy in the garden, growing all kinds of veg- arugula, zucchinis, peas, chilis, tomatoes, eggplant, swiss chard, onion, kale, etc.  This week we had peas coming out of our ears, and while shelling peas is a tedious task, its alright if you’ve got a mum to work on the task at hand with you. Don’t throw the pea shells out, use them to make some good pea stock.

The best way to use up peas is pea soup!!! Stick a soft boiled egg on it for good measure.

Fresh Pea Soup with fingerling Potatoes, Basil and Mint
Serves 4

Peas! Lots and lots of Peas. I think I had about 4 cups worth of shelled Peas
Fresh Basil
Fresh Mint
4 Eggs
2 Cups Veggie Broth
2 Shallots
Olive Oil
3 Cups of Potatoes, chopped up into 1/2″ cubes
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/2 White Onion- skinned
1/2 Cup White Wine
Red Chili Flakes
Optional: Parmesan Reggiano

Shell the peas.  In a very large pot, throw in the (washed) pea shells, some basil leaves and stalks,  some mint leaves and stalks, and 1/2 an onion in with a litre of water, bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for about an hour. Once reduced, strain and add in some veggie broth and white wine.

In another large pot, add some olive oil and saute the chopped up shallots. Add in the potatoes and cook a minute before combining with the pea stock. Simmer covered for about 10 minutes before adding in the peas. Once cooked about 5 mins, add the lemon juice, some more fresh basil, more fresh mint, red chili flakes, and season well with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and blend in a food processor or using an immersion blender. The soup should seem quite creamy because of the potatoes. At this point, add some more pepper and lemon if it tastes to sweet, or some salt if necessary. Add in the parmesan reggiano if you want some. Soft boil the eggs and peel off the shell, arrange on top.

When I was little, I had a vendetta against peas.  I hated peas with every ounce of my body, and I will never forget one fateful Sunday dinner when I actually ate some peas.  We had the usual- roast meat with roast potatoes, and a few plates of veg, one of which was PEAS.  I refused to  eat them until my dad informed me that if I didn’t, they would put peas on my ice cream.  I ate the peas.

Now I love peas- but not because of that scarring childhood memory.

Zucchini and Pea Salad with Parmesan Reggiano and Fresh Basil
Serves 2-3 as a side, one as a main

Handful of peas
1 Zucchini
4 large Basil Leaves
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan Reggiano
Salt and Pepper

Shave the zucchini into ribbons using a Y-peeler.  Shell the peas and steam for about a minute or two, rinse with cold water.  Mix peas and zucchini with lemon and olive oil, season well and mix in chopped basil.  Shave parmesan reggiano on top.

On Thursday (?) we ordered Chinese food.  Jon got General Tso’s Tofu and I got steamed veggies and tofu (yes, I am one of those).  Of course we didn’t finish it all, so we had a bunch of left overs.  Today we reused them- we stir fried the steamed veggies and tofu medley with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to add some flavour and texture, and threw themin some broth composed of veg broth, garlic, fresh chives, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  If I had srirarcha sauce.. I would.  Then we added in some soba noodles and called it a day.  Jon pan fried his General Tso’s tofu, and it heated up very nicely!  Oh yeh, and I had a fried egg on top.

Soba Noodles with Veg and Tofu
Serves 2
Leftovers: Broccoli, sugar snap peas, tofu- whatever veggies you want to use up, kale and mushrooms and baby corn would work nicely.
Soba Noodles
Vegetable Broth- 3 cups
1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated and peeled
1 Garlic Clove
Fresh Chives
Sesame Oil

Sautee left over veggies and tofu in Sesame Oil, add garlic and ginger, and cook until flavours are absorbed (Note: If you are using tofu that has already been coated in sauce and fried, set this aside and cook on its own in a pan over high heat), set aside. Cook soba noodles, drain, and set aside. Cook broth- throw in veg broth, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chives. Cook for about 10 mins so flavours meld together. Add in tofu, veggies, and noodles. Fry an egg in some oil, and baste with veg broth, cover and cook a few minutes. Arrange noodles and veg in a bowl, top with egg, and garnish with chives.

When I was in college, Freshman year to be exact, I ate cup noodle (or is it pot noodle?) for dinner almost every night.. and so did everyone else in my dorm.  Nothing will ever be as comforting as a cup of noodles that takes a few minutes to create, but here is a healthier version, with better ramen noodles and King Oyster Mushrooms (below), both of which we purchased from the wonder that is H-Mart (the one in Burlington is massive).  Another note, this was by far the best tofu brand I’ve had (pictured below). We were so tempted to eat it by itself dipped in some Hoisin Sauce.

Pot Noodle for Grown-Ups
Serves 2

Noodles for 2
Tofu (About 1/2 the packet)
Vegetable Oil for frying
1/4 cup of Flour
2-3 Spring Onions
Red Cabbage
Peas
King Oyster Mushrooms (these were massive so 1 was enough)
12 Baby carrots
Spinach or Kale
1 clove of Garlic
1 tbsp Ginger, grated
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of Water
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
Sriracha Sauce, to taste

First, get the tofu over with. Cut into little triangles, coat with flower, and fry in vegetable oil at a medium high heat, flipping every minute or so until golden. Set aside.

In a large pot, saute white parts of Spring Onions (chopped up) and ginger in sesame oil. Add in minced garlic, carrots, and oyster mushrooms (sliced). Add broth, water, and cabbage. Cook for about 30 minutes until condensed. Add soy sauce, some more sesame oil, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, and greens (peas, spinach/kale). If the broth isn’t to your liking, add whatever you think it needs (more soy sauce? some miso paste if you’ve got it? etc). If it’s done, strain out the vegetables and add the noodles to the broth. Once cooked add the veggies back in and mix well. Dish out and top with tofu, garnish with the green parts of the Spring Onions as well as some more Sriracha sauce.