The Spring Pea Soup

It has gotten a bit chilly past few days... thanks to the constant downpour through the day. This gloomy weather calls for a nice hearty soup.  The spring pea soup.
About a week back, I got on to this website- sparkpeople.com, and I have been keeping count of my calories and nutrient intake everyday. What was severely lacking in my diet was proteins. Being a vegetarian there are limited sources, so the pea soup rich in protein and fibers was a great idea.

Here's how you make it. You need:

• 2 tsps butter
• half a medium leek finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh/ frozen peas
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tsp fresh cream
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• a sprig of rosemary

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the leek, the salt, pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
2. Add the broth, the peas and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the basil and rosemary. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, taking in all the flavours.
4. Using a blender, purée the soup in batches until smooth. Transfer the soup to a saucepan, add the fresh cream and parmesan and simmer it for another 5 minutes.