Edamame Pea Soup

I know it's summer, and I know it's hot out, but I just can't resist making soup every now and then.  I found a recipe for a Spanish fava bean cilantro soup that looked light and refreshing enough for a hot summer day, and decided to try it out.

I've never actually bought fava beans before, but I've seen them around at the farmer's market enough to know what they look like and to think that they wouldn't be impossible to find.  So that's where I started my search: the Redlands Saturday morning farmer's market.  No luck.  Maybe they aren't in season?  Although I checked around, and most websites said late spring into the summer.... So I decided I'd head to the specialty natural organic grocery store in Loma Linda.  On my way I stopped at the Jacinto Farms market - no luck.  But I picked up some delicious strawberries since I was there anyway :)  Then no luck at Clark's.  So why not try Vons (and Trader Joe's since it's right next door), since I have to head back that way anyway?  Still no luck.  That's four grocery stores and a farmer's market.  But by this point I was fixated on this recipe, so I decided to tweak it ever so slightly - by completely changing up the main ingredient.  I decided to substitute both edamame and peas for the fava beans.

The outcome?  Delicious!  Although I have absolutely no idea how it compares to the actual recipe, seeing as I don't think I've ever eaten fava beans before.  But I will definitely make this soup again, and if and when I ever come across fava beans at the market, I'll try the original recipe.

Ingredients
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 lb shelled frozen edamame (soy beans)
1/2 lb frozen peas
32 oz vegetable stock
1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Heat the oil in a large pot, and saute the onions until soft, about five minutes.  Add the potatoes, edamame, peas, and vegetable stock, and bring to a boil.  Simmer until the potatoes are soft.  Add the cilantro and simmer for another ten minutes.  Blend the soup using an immersion blender, or blend in batches in a food processor or blender.  Stir in the cream, and season to taste.
Serving suggestion: top with a drizzle of cream and olive oil, a few sprigs of cilantro, and freshly cracked pepper (note: if you drizzle half and half instead of cream, it doesn't look nearly as pretty - I tried.  You can tell the difference in the photos).

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