A Recommendation and Sweet Pea Soup

I collect cookbooks.

All types of cookbooks; I especially like old, heritage books that feature REAL food. You know, the stuff your grandmother made.

TBHITW is going to sigh and say, "another cookbook?" when this one reaches my mailbox, but I just can't resist. Seasonal, local, sustainable food. What more can a cook (and an eater) ask for?

From Tasting Table: (a free national AND local email highlighting the new, the tasty and the trendy in your area)

People | NEW YORK CITY

Local Boy Makes Good Changing our food systems--and your dinner--for the better

Photo: Andre Baranowski Michel Nischan is always a step ahead. Years before urban farming became a movement, the Connecticut-based chef had turned his backyard into a vast garden that feeds his family of seven. And long before area restaurants figured out how to support local farms, Nischan laid the groundwork at restaurants like Heartbeat, Miche Mache and his latest venture, The Dressing Room, which he founded with the late Paul Newman. Now, Nischan's Wholesome Wave Foundation has launched a program thatdoubles the value of food stamps at farmers' markets across the country. And the guy still finds time to write excellent cookbooks. His latest,Sustainably Delicious, which draws on his expertise and experience from his long career as a sustainable-food pioneer, contains 100 recipes and a wealth of advice for the eco-minded home cook. Nischan's recipes are as practical as they are personal, emphasizing everyday ingredients and seasonality over chef-y flourishes and exhaustive preparations.

Sustainably Delicious Online

Sweet Pea Soup

Recipe adapted from Sustainably Delicious

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes (1 or 2 potatoes)

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

• 1 cup diced onion

• 4 cups shelled sweet peas ( about 4 pounds in the pod),

or frozen organic peas

• 6 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade

• 2 to 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint or Thai basil

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 to 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

1. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the freezer to chill. In a

saucepan, cover the potatoes with a generous amount of

water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then

reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20

minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.

Drain the potatoes; when they’re cool enough to handle,

peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. (You should

have about 1 cup of cubed potatoes.) Set the potatoes

aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and onion in a large skillet over

medium heat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the

onions are lightly caramelized. Add the fresh peas and

cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. (If

using frozen peas, heat them just until they get hot.)

Immediately transfer the onion and peas to the chilled

baking sheet and place them in the freezer for 8 to 10

minutes, or until the peas are cold.

3. In a 3-quart or larger saucepan, bring the stock to a

simmer over medium-high heat. Add the cold onion and

peas and the cubed potatoes to the hot stock. Bring the

soup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Working in

batches, transfer the soup to a blender and process until

very smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the

mint or basil. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the

butter. For a more refined soup, strain through a fine-

mesh sieve. Garnish with additional mint or basil leaves

and serve immediately.

A Cook's Notes: Tasting Table and/or Michel Nischan have never heard of me. They didn't ask me to hype their site or the cookbook. I just happen to like Tasting Table AND sustainable, local food.