Split Pea Soup
There is something deeply satisfying about raising a spoonful of creamy Split Pea soup on a cold winter morning. I love that complicated aroma of peas, onion, ham -- especially when it offers added tang with just a bit of sherry wine or a dollop of sour cream. Ah! Is it silly to pause and just inhale the fragrance my first spoonful? One thing I've learned is that the cook needs to reward her/himself with sensatory feedback every day. This is your encouragement to keep making good things for yourself and your family and friends.
This Split Pea soup feeds six and is easy to double. I use a blender on two thirds of the pot of soup and blend it until it's velvety smooth. Be sure to spoon out the bits of ham (or smoked turkey if you don't do pork), carrots and the bay leaves. It's up to you if you want to hold out extra chunks of carrot and potato then add them back once the rest of the soup has been pureed. This is all about texture and you control how smooth your soup will be!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dried Split Peas (Rinsed thoroughly)
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Onion (Chopped; about one small onion)
- 1 cup Carrots (Chopped)
- 1 cup Celery (Chopped)
- 1 cup Potato (Chopped)
- 2 Bay Leaf (Whole)
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 qt Chicken Stock
- 1/2 cup Half and Half
- 8 oz Smoked Turkey or Ham (Cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 tbsp Cream Sherry (to taste)
Instructions
Melt the 1 tablespoon of butter in a soup pot.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, salt and cook over medium heat until onion and celery are softened.- Add the split peas, chicken broth and bay leaves, then turn the heat up to medium high. Heat until soup just begins to boil then reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for 1 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until peas are mushy and the soup begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat.
With a slotted spoon remove as much of the turkey/ham as you can. Remove the bay leaves as well.
At this point remove as many small bits of carrot and potato as you would like to remain in the finished soup. They and the ham give a more rustic texture to the finished soup.
(Or you can go for a super smooth, more elegant presentation by pureeing all of the vegetables and the meat.)For the greenest soup sort out all of the chunky ingredients except potato.
- You may need to do your puree in stages: If using a blender, only fill it half full with the hot soup or you will have a hot mess! Soups and other thick liquids tend to expand as the blender runs. If this soup overruns the blender's capacity it could cause serious burns, plus waste your good soup. Not a good prospect. So it's perfectly ok to process just a few cups of the soup at a time. Hold the processed soup in a separate large bowl with the rescued ham and vegetable bits until you are finished.
- Return all soup to the soup pot and stir in the Half and Half. Add sherry to taste.
Serve with croutons and/or a dollop of sour cream.
(Be sure to take a long whiff of this wonderful concoction before eating. It will make you happy.)
Harriett's Cooking