I may sound like a broken record, but I try not to waste food. In Vietnamese, it is tội chết: "dreadfully sinful" to waste. Yesterday, I had a little bit of leftover boiled bow-tie pasta. The quantity was too little to serve as a main dish, so I seasoned them, deep-fried them and served them as chips.
To ensure everyone enjoyed the small amount of chips in equal portions, I used them as crunchy toppings for pea and leek soup. You could serve them as appetizers for a buffet-style party (maybe next week for Christmas Eve) in mini shot glasses. A sprinkle of curly parsley is more than enough to provide an elegant final touch.
Waste not, want not!
1. Info for Pea Soup Topped with Pasta Chips
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Pea Soup Topped with Pasta Chips
- 4 ounces bow-tie pasta, boiled, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups peanut oil (or regular vegetable oil), as needed
- 3 leeks (6-inch pieces, white part only)
- 1½ (16-ounce) packages frozen green peas
- 1 to 1¼ quarts vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons sweet basil leaves, chopped
- 2¼ teaspoons kosher salt, as needed
- ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper, freshly ground
- 3 strips turkey bacon (optional)
- 1 tablespoon curly parsley, finely chopped
3. Directions:
- For the bacon (if using): In a pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the turkey bacon and cook for 2-3 minutes. Finely chop into small bits.
- In the same pot, heat more oil. Add the leeks and cook until slightly golden. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the green peas and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes. Add the basil leaves. Let cool a little and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Return the soup to the pot. Add nutmeg and about ½ cup water to thin it and cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle the bow-tie pasta with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with half the garlic powder and onion powder.
- Layer a cooling rack, lined with paper towels, on top of a baking sheet (for easy clean-up of the drained oil).
- In a small pan (or any regular deep-fryer), heat the oil for about 2 minutes over high heat. There should be at least a 2-inch-high level of oil. Wait until the oil is slightly bubbly (not too hot).
- Test the oil by dropping one piece of pasta into the hot oil. It should be sizzling.
- Place the bow ties, in batches, into the hot oil. Fry on both sides. Make sure they don’t touch each other. Lower the heat to medium. Deep fry for 2-3 minutes per batch. Use a splatter screen to prevent the oil from jumping everywhere . Flip each piece using a spider skimmer and cook for about a minute more until golden.
- Delicately lift the fried pasta, draining as much oil as possible and transfer to the cooling rack. Sprinkle with the remaining garlic powder and onion powder.
- Place 1 teaspoon bacon bits (you could also use soy bacon bits for a smoky flavor) into the bottom of the mini shot glasses. Pour in the pea soup. Garnish with the pasta chips and sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve warm.
- Bon appétit!
