Let's Do Lunch

To you two readers who keep me honest about this little spot in cyberspace, I owe you an update. It'll be brief, but it'll be an update. The problem isn't the lack of food or cooking, oh no, but Seattle's got a little bit of an issue called - light.

A blog's quality is always photo-dependent, in my opinion. On top of quality, there must be a balanced photo-to-writing ratio. And therein lies my problem. I don't have many photos to share, due to the snag mentioned above. Oh, I'd love to chat with you about the plethora of lunches I've prepared that have assisted me through the workday:


green lentils, thick slices of cheddar, sausage (no bun, thank you), farro and roasted broccoli, corn and crab salad, fennel roasted pork, chicken salad with apples and almonds, carrot soup, shrimp and quinoa, parsnips and .... parsnips, braised red cabbage with fennel, turkey burgers with goat cheese and basil, quinoa and corn, chickpeas and roasted red peppers, pea soup, potatoes and herring, sausage with spinach, sausage with mustard


But what's all that without photos? "Blah blah cabbage blah sausage blah blah chicken with blah blah blah"...that's what. It's hard to find good light around here, it's quite the hot commodity. But once in a while, when I get back from work early and slide into my slippers before warming up a bowl of pea soup, I'm able to capture the light before it melts away.


So today will be small and simple. Just like the photo. Just like the pea soup.

Next time we'll chat further. In the meantime, I'll work on the lighting issue. Let's do lunch?


Pea Soup

Ingredients
1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil, more if things get a bit sticky
salt and pepper
3 cups frozen peas, not canned
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Fresh herbs and/or cream

Instructions
In a deep saute pan or large soup pot, saute the shallot in the olive oil until translucent, and season with salt and pepper. Add the peas. No need to defrost them beforehand as they will surely thaw during this process. When thaw, add the stock and bring to a boil until peas are very tender. With an immersion hand blender, food processor, or regular blender - blend the soup into a puree.

This soup most definitely benefits from a few optional additions - namely herbs and dairy. I chose basil, thyme, and a good splash of whole milk to both lighten the flavor and add some warm depth.