Creamy Pea Soup with Homemade Croutons

Creamy Pea Soup with Homemade Croutons

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ½ pound of peas
• 4 quarts of water
• 3 cups of milk
• 5 cups of chicken broth
• Chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 loaf of stale bread
• 1 4 ounce stick of butter
• Basil
• Thyme
• Garlic powder
• Rosemary

Instructions

1. To begin, place the peas in a pot with 1 quart of water. Let this pot of water soak for a couple of hours to make the peas easier to cook.
2. After a couple of hours have passed, drain the water from the pot and refill it with fresh drinking water. Place the peas on the stove to cook. You can add a whole head of garlic and an onion to the peas, but do not peel them or remove the skin.
3. Place the peas on the stove to boil for 45 minutes.
4. As the peas are boiling, cut the stale bread into small, bite-sized cubes. Melt the butter on the stove, and stir in the basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes, and be sure that they are as evenly covered with melted butter as possible. Place them in an oven heated to 300 F, and cook until the croutons are golden brown.
5. In a separate pot on the side, place the milk and chicken broth to boil. Once they are simmering, turn the fire down low.
6. Drain the water from the peas, and pick out the head of garlic and the onion. Pour the drained peas into the boiling chicken and milk, and let them finish cooking. Add salt, pepper, and chili powder as desired, and serve with the croutons.

Source: amazingsouprecipes