Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan.

Add salt to the boiling water.

Add 4 pounds of shelled fresh peas to the salted boiling water.

Bring the water back to a boil.

Cook the peas over moderate heat until very tender (approximately 20 minutes).

Drain the peas, reserving the cooking liquid.

Set aside 1/4 cup of cooked peas for garnish.

In a food processor, combine the remaining cooked peas with 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.

Puree the mixture until smooth.

Work the pea puree through a fine sieve into a large bowl.

Discard the contents remaining in the sieve.

Stir in about 4 cups of the reserved cooking liquid into the sieved puree.

Season the soup with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add more cooking liquid if necessary to achieve a creamy soup consistency.

Refrigerate the soup until thoroughly chilled (at least 2 hours).

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add 3/4 cup of diced crustless day-old country bread to the skillet.

Brown the bread cubes on all sides over moderately high heat (3 to 5 minutes), creating croutons.

Drain the croutons on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Ladle the chilled pea soup into serving bowls.

Garnish each bowl with a few of the reserved cooked peas and croutons.

Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Serve immediately.