I have a complicated relationship with puns.  I might groan and roll my eyes, but secretly, I kind of love them.

This soup is a pun.  I was having dinner with my friend Yayo and his mom at Jason Neroni’s awesome restaurant, Superba, enjoying his delicious pea gazpacho, and Spanish vocab came up.  Yayo is from Hermosillo, and, as you’d expect, speaks Spanish, so I’m constantly pestering with “what’s that in Spanish” questions. Apparently peas are “chícharos.” I immediately asked, “So pea soup with chicharrones would be sopa de chícharos con chicharrones?

Pun soup is happening!

I loved the flavors in Jason’s soup, so I replicated a lo-fi version of his, and added a couple of touches of my own.  This soup is creamy and light, perfect for a hot summer lunch. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup raw shelled pistachios

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

2 pounds sugar snap peas

1/2 english cucumber, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped

1 tablespoons sherry vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup greek yogurt, for serving

2 tablespoons chicharrones, crumbled

DIRECTIONS

Cover the pistachios with water and soak over night.  Combine the fennel, onion, and garlic in a large pot. Cover with 2 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain liquid into a clean pot and discard the solids.

Bring the strained liquid to a simmer. Add the peas and simmer until they are just cooked through and bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Strain the peas, reserving the liquid, and pop them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Purée the peas, cucumber, and pistachios in a blender, adding the reserved liquid as needed to achieve the desired consistency. You may need to do this in batches to accommodate all of the liquid. Season to taste with sherry vinegar, salt and pepper.  Pour the soup into a large pitcher and chill in the fridge.  To serve, spoon a little yogurt into a bowl and pour the chilled soup around it, garnish with crushed chicharrones.