This soup tastes as fresh as its bright green color. Around here, everyone is ready for a spoonful as soon as the crocuses poke up from the last of the snow. It’s a relatively quick and easy recipe. The resh mint added at the end gives the soup a clean finish. It makes a beautiful first course for Easter, as it goes really well with rack of lamb. The pale white, slightly tangy crème fraiche contrasts nicely with the soup’s color and earthy flavor.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons salted butter
1^1/2 cups chopped spring onions or Spanish onions
1 bulb fennel or anise, diced
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
6 cups chicken stock
2 packages (16 ounces each) frozen peas
1/4 cup julienned fresh mint leaves, plus additional, for garnish
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Crème fraîche, for garnish

Directions:

In a stockpot melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the spring onions, fennel, garlic, and potatoes and sauté for 15 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook until the potatoes are soft and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the frozen peas and mint leaves. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until very smooth. Add the cream, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Puree once again until completely blended. Return the soup to the stove and cook an additional 5 minutes. Garnish each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche and a pinch of mint leaves.

Makes 8 to 10 servings. Spring onions—the first of the season—will be a real treat if you can find them. Their green shoots look a bit like leeks, and their white bulbs are about the size of a golf ball. They are harvested young and have a bracingly strong flavor.