Rainy days call for lots of soup. This time I made Split Pea Soup. Can you see
Barbara Rogers sea horse on this bowl? He's almost the same color as the soup, an undersea green.
Split pea soup is a hearty soup and sticks to your ribs on a dreary rainy day and you don't have to soak the peas before cooking them.
Start by sauteing a small onion and a few minced garlic cloves. Next pour in about 8 cups of water and add a package of dried split peas. I added about 2 cups a shredded carrots. I shred the carrots because they cook quicker that way. I also added salt and pepper, thyme and Spanish tarragon from the garden, and one crumpled bay leaf. Next I added about two tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar. After about an hour or so the carrots and peas are soft, watch and stir closely near the end so they don't sink and stick to the bottom of the pan. Test one pea to be sure it's soft.Then I added two small white potatoes chopped very small to cook quickly. Add more water if necessary.
When the potatoes are cooked I put the mixture in my blender to puree. You'll have more than a blender full.
I put the extra soup into a large casserole temporarily. Once I had it all pureed I put it all back in the pan and added 3 slices of ham chopped fine and cooked it a little longer to meld the flavors. If you are vegan skip this step and serve. This makes a nice big batch for a group of six to eight, or freeze some and have some the next day too. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
I love pea soup. I always make it with a ham bone. When I was a kid I used to say I didn't like it, but I don't think I had ever really tasted it. My mother used yellow peas, and to me they didn't look appetizing.
ReplyDeleteHi Michele, thanks, I think my mom made it with ham hocks, never yellow peas though, never heard of them, probably not too appetizing looking.
DeleteSplit pea is my favorite. I'm the only one who likes it, so I don't get it often.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne, thanks, I suspect it might be one of those soups served and the name given much later in the evening;.
DeleteVery nice bowl but I’d have some other soup in it. Split Pea is one of my least favorites.
ReplyDeleteHi Lori, thanks, oh give it a try you might like it.;
DeleteLove that bowl.
ReplyDeleteNot however a fan of pea soup. It always tasted 'gritty' the way my mother made it. Some day I will test it again.
Hi Elephant's Child, thanks, you must cook it enough and blend it up in the blender and there is no grit at all, please try it again.
DeleteWith summer just around the corner down this way, thick hot soups are being set aside...the left-over Christmas ham on the bone, however, invariably and inevitably will turned into Pea and Ham soup! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Lee, thanks, yes my mom used to make a pot of beans she baked in the oven with a ham bone in it.
ReplyDelete