Spring Pea Soup with Lemon Ricotta

 From the COSTCO CONNECTION magazine - this was easy to make and so good and springlike. The only thing I found was that the lemon ricotta was a bit salty for my taste. The Vegetables Cookbook from Appleseed Press features this recipe.

• 12 cups water
• 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 6 strips of lemon peel
• 3 cups peas
• 3 shallots, diced
• 6 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish

Place the water and 1 Tbsp of the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Place the ricotta, cream, lemon zest and remaining salt in a food processor and purée until smooth. Season to taste and set the mixture aside.

Add the strips of lemon peel, peas and shallot to the saucepan. Cook for 2 minutes, until the peas are just cooked through. Drain, making sure to reserve 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and immediately transfer the peas, strips of lemon peel and shallot to a blender. Add the mint leaves and half the reserved cooking liquid, and purée until the desired consistency is achieved, adding more cooking liquid as needed.

Season to taste, ladle into warmed bowls and place a spoonful of the lemon ricotta into each bowl. Garnish with additional mint and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.