Cream of Green Pea Soup

Recipe No. 537 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Soups. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Beef stock — 1½ gallons (6 No. 56 dippers)

Water — 1 gallon (4 No. 56 dippers)

• Peas, fresh shelled, canned or frozen — 2½ gallons (10 No. 56 dippers)
• Milk, evaporated — 24 — 14½-ounce cans
• Onions, chopped — 10 ounces (¾ mess kit cup)
• Fat, melted — 1 pound (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Flour, sifted — 1 pound (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Salt — 2½ ounces (5 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — (⅙ mess kit spoon)
• Nutmeg — (⅙ mess kit spoon)

Directions

Key ingredients

Evaporated Milk

1. Prepare beef stock (recipe No. 519).
2. Add water and peas.
3. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender.
4. Rub all but 1 quart (1 No. 56 dipper) peas through sieve.
5. Add milk to puree; continuing simmering 10 minutes.
6. Fry onions in melted fat. Add flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg; stir until smooth.
7. Add onion mixture to hot soup; mix thoroughly. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.
8. Add remaining quart (1 No. 56 dipper) green peas just before serving.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Beef stock — 2 cups Water — 1¼ cups Peas, fresh shelled, canned or frozen — 3¼ cups Milk, evaporated — 2 can(s) (14½ oz) Onions, chopped — ¾ oz Fat, melted — 1¼ oz Flour, sifted — 1¼ oz Salt — about 1¼ tsp Pepper — scale to taste ((⅙ mess kit spoon)) Nutmeg — scale to taste ((⅙ mess kit spoon))

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 537, Soups. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.