Pea and Basil Soup

I am currently obsessed with basil. I want to eat it all the time. I am always obsessed with soup. I went out and bought new bowls so I could have more soup.

I had half a bunch of basil leftover and decided I wanted some SOUP! I also had this bag of frozen peas that I had bought for a different recipe and never used. I will admit that growing up, I hated pea soup. It wasn't even something my mom would try and force me to eat because she knew I wouldn't. But for some reason, I wanted to try and make pea soup. This was nothing at all like the salty sour canned split pea soup I grew up loathing. This tastes fresh and light and summery. It goes great with some crusty bread!


Ingredients
10-12 oz bag frozen peas
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cups veggie stock
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
4 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup dairy... cream, milk, evaporated milk, soy milk, whatever
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Boil stock and about 1 tsp salt over high heat.
2. Lower heat to medium and add peas and onion.
3. Cook for about 5 minutes or until veggies are soft.
4. While the veggies are cooking, put basil and garlic on a food processor or blender and process until very fine. You don't want them to cook very long to keep their flavors fresh, so don't put them in the stock with the veggies.
5. When the veggies are ready, blend them, in batches if necessary, until smooth.
6. Return the veggies to the pot. Add basil, garlic, milk and parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and reheat until parmesan cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve! Garnish with parmesan cheese and a sprig of basil if you'd like!