While we seem to be in a warming pattern weather-wise, it is still chilly enough to want to warm up from the inside out with some soup this weekend. I’m going with one of my mom’s favorites, Split Pea Soup.
As a kid, my mom’s family had a huge garden. It was a great source of fresh food for her large family of 7 kids plus their parents. When my mom harvested ripe peas, she would shell and eat just as many on the spot as she would collect for the family’s meal. Mom always claimed that she ate enough peas as a child to last her a lifetime to explain why she didn’t have to eat the peas at dinner when my two sisters & I were growing up, but we did. She may have lost her taste for eating peas as a vegetable side dish, but split pea soup remained one of her favorites, so I made Mom some when she last visited us. I make mine vegetarian with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and without ham.
Split Pea Soup
Split Pea Soup (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten)
Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Serves 5 to 6
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 -1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
- 1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small)
- 1 pound dried split green peas
- 8 cups vegetable stock or water
Directions:
In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the oregano, salt, and pepper in the olive oil, until the onions are translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of the split peas, and the stock. Bring it all to a boil, then simmer the soup uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Simmer it all together.
Add the remaining split peas to the pot and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from settling to the bottom and burning.
The soup is thickened by the break down of the peas that were added at the beginning, no blending necessary.
Taste for salt and pepper before serving and add more if needed. Add more stock if a thinner soup is desired. Serve hot.
Thin the soup with more stock, if desired.
This hearty soup hits the spot! ~Linda
Split Pea Soup (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten)
Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Serves 5 to 6
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 -1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
- 1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small)
- 1 pound dried split green peas
- 8 cups vegetable stock or water
Directions:
In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the oregano, salt, and pepper in the olive oil, until the onions are translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of the split peas, and the stock. Bring it all to a boil, then simmer the soup uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining split peas to the pot and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from settling to the bottom and burning. Taste for salt and pepper before serving and add more if needed. Serve hot.