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.
