A technicolor loony.

As requested.:)

4 cups shelled peas (the bag of dried peas from the market does for this, though someday I will have to make it with fresh.)
4 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. brown sugar
salt & fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 cup light Rhine wine (have never had this, thus have never used it)
4 1/2 Tbs butter
4 1/2 Tbs flour

Dumplings:
6 Tbs. Butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt

Soup:

Cook peas in the water and sugar until they are quite soft, about 1/2 hour. Then press the soup through a sieve or put it in the blender for a few moments (I like the texture of the peas, so this doesn't happen in my kitchen) Season this thin puree with salt and pepper and stir in the wine (or broth or anything else that makes you happy)

Melt the butter in a skillet and stir in the flour. Let the roux cook over a very low flame for a few minutes, stirring constantly (it should turn a light brown...actually, you can cook it till it gets to exactly the shade of brown you like. If it looks like charcoal, you've gone too far.;) Stir in a coup or two of the soup and whisk until smooth. Return the thickened soup to the rest and blend well.

Dumplings:

To make the batter, soften the butter as much as possible, short of melting it. Beat the eggs with the flour and beat in the butter. Season with salt and nutmeg. Drop the batter into gently boiling soup by half-teaspoons. When the dumplings have risen to the top, they will need five more minutes until they are done.

Serves 5 to 6

(Seekrit message to people who don't like the idea of a purely vegetarian meal. The dumplings will work in any pea soup, as long as it's not super-thick)