Sweet Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped Onion
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp grated fresh peeled ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp homemade garam masala, which we happened to have on hand, OR
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric (I don't like it and didn't use it, but Moosewood does)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 3 cups fresh green peas (took me 45 minutes to shell them!)

Procedures

1. Braise/deglaze onions and garlic in a pot for 5–10 minutes.
2. Mix in the ginger, salt, and all spices and cook for a few minutes, stirring often.
3. Add tomatoes and sweet potato, stir. Add 1 1/2 cups of water, stir.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

1. Add 2 cups of the Peas and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 cups of water.
3. Puree in batches in a blender until smooth. return to the pot, add the last cup of Peas, and cook on medium heat for 3–5 minutes.