In San Francisco, we yearn for spring

Back in March and April, residents of San Francisco had thought summer came early. Besides the produce, summer doesn't really exist here. It's just a swampy cloud of fog morning and afternoon, which makes it hard to enjoy the bounty of summer.

I do try to make the most of summer, however I find myself looking back to some spring recipes...... that and I only recently started this blog - s0 I have no spring recipes recorded!

I know that all of you have bought your peas in mass bulk at the end of the season to freeze, so that you can enjoy them all summer; therefore you can enjoy these recipes and still pretend they are market fresh. I wish I could say I was one of those people to buy up end-of-season produce, but I don't have that money, or that freezer space since I live with 3 other roommates.

One of my favorite recipes is a Pea Soup with Tarragon that I found in my Vegetarian Times Magazine

I only cook for one, so I can only buy a couple different herbs at a time, and my tarragon died before I got around to making it.

Then I bought mint for another recipe, which I thought would go well in place of tarragon... and that soon wilted. Let me just say that my kitchen gets absolutely no sun, so cut herbs seem to last 2 days max. It's very sad, and very expensive.

I had to go on! I had to make do! It was getting around to summer time, so I tried basil and thyme. It really is a summer recipe now!

Peas with Thyme, Basil, and Cinnamon:

Serves two: (Or one.. with leftovers)

1 Tbs olive oil

1 leek, chopped to 1/4" rings

1 garlic clove

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup water

3 springs of Thyme

Handful of Basil

1 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

dbl dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup or 1/2 bag of frozen peas

-Heat olive oil and cook leeks for about 10-15 minutes until translucent and soft. Add roughly chopped garlic at the end.*

- Add 1/2 water, 1/2 broth, and half of the thyme to the leeks, then let simmer for another 15 minutes.

- Add peas and bring to boil, then turn off heat.

- Let cool until room temperature, so that it is safe enough to place in blender.

- Add 2 cups of pea mixture to a blender at a time.

- Add the rest of the thyme, basil, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and then salt and pepper.

- Blend until soft and adjust herbs and seasoning to your taste.

(room temperature is the best way to taste for seasoning because heat and cold disguise flavors)

-Then garnish with thinly sliced radishes, sea salt, and maybe some microgreens if you are feeling all fancy-smansy.

*The rougher the garlic chop and the less it is cooked down, the stronger the flavor.

Great small soup...

I had leftovers!!! So I added some quinoa, and garbanzo beans for a more filling lunch the next day (as pictured below).

Delish.