Per Tricia~
I have to admit that I am not normally a fan of pea soup.
This week was different because we tried Dorie's and then
at the last minute (Thursday night) I whipped up Ina Garten's
version from her latest cookbook - "Foolproof". Why ?
Because Nana and I had just had a Barefoot Contessa
adventure- that's why !
if you knew how far back our seats were, you would really be impressed by these shots :) |
We had planned to get signed copies at our local Williams-Sonoma
last Fall, but were to be in France when the date came around.
We figured we had a better offer so were not losing sleep - till France
got cancelled. Hurricane Sandy ended up hitting on that date and I forgot all
about ever getting the cookbook. Till this week when I went to look for it.
I Googled Weds. morning, intending to buy the book, and learned she
was doing an onstage book interview and book signing about two hours
away with a local chef ----that NIGHT. I quickly secured tickets for us
and the adventure began ! It was a very different experience than standing
in line at the store to get a copy signed and we had a great time. As I peeked
in line at the store to get a copy signed and we had a great time. As I peeked
at the recipes I noted she had a pea soup one as well and thought it would
be fun to compare. Basically her's included a second bag of peas in lieu of
the romaine. She also presents hers with a big piece of roasted Prosciutto
on top. We tried a smoked Prosciutto and regular and while we enjoy
this treat- next time we are going for bacon and definitely crumbling it.
Overall my guys enjoyed both soups.
I had strained Dorie's pretty hard, per the instructions and it was
MUCH thinner than the Ina version that I just put through the blender.
This is personal taste only but our family liked the thicker version, which
I can accomplish on Dorie's next time. My husband insisted that Dorie's
was surprisingly sweet to him and he is convinced that it is due to the
romaine. I'm not sure it wasn't the peas but was glad they were happy
and given the freezing temps we have had this week - I was just
happy to make any soup for FFWD.
Per Nana~
There isn't much to say about this recipe except that it lacked
some flavor. First, I prepared only half of the recipe and
for that I am happy. I ended up with only two small bowls
for us and no leftovers.
I enjoyed all of the ingredients separately, but I thought it
was a rather weak soup. After putting it through the Cuisinart,
I eventually had to strain it. I turned out very smooth at this point
and when we reheated it, I topped it with a dollop of sour cream.
I added my Tabasco sauce to kick it up a notch.
It's too bad because I truly love the cream soups we have
been making, but this just didn't work for me.