Savory Split Pea Soup

So, August has sort of become soup month here at An Eat'n Man, and lo and behold, the month rolled around and I hadn't cooked any new soups for the blog.  Well, I've been tied up with some other projects, but I looked through my archive, and I found I had this top notch Pea Soup from a few years ago that I cooked.  The recipe is great, inspired by Francois over at FX Cuisine, though I modified it heavily for my own use.  The photos aren't really up to my new standards, but I'll replace them when I get round to making this soup again (it's more of a winter soup, as it's so hearty) but until now I give you, split pea soup.

Ingredients

16 oz Green Split Peas
3 Large Carrots, diced
2 Russet Potatoes, diced
1 Large Onion, diced
1 Leek, slicked into thin rings
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
8 oz Smoked Ham, diced
1 bunch Parsley
1 bunch Thyme
1 bunch  Sage
1 Bay Leaf
1 Celeriac, diced
6 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil

The hardest thing about making this soup is of course splitting all those darn peas--it takes forever.  Okay, just kidding.  The peas come already split--they naturally split when they are dried.  They are, of course, hard as a rock when you get them, so soak them overnight in water to soften them.  Discard that water when you drain them the next day and use fresh, clean water for the boil.

Dice onion and saute in olive oil until golden
Mince garlic and add, cook for one minute

Dice carrots, potatoes and celeriac

Add them to the pot with the onions and garlic.

Slice your leek into thin rings and add.  Only use the white and light green part of the leek, discard the leaves and rootlet ends.  Here's the part to use:

Slice 'em like this:

Dice ham and add

Note, most recipes for this soup would use a smoked ham hock or ham bone to add the flavor.  I don't for two reasons.  One...I've had bad luck with using hocks or ham bones that I've acquired at the store--they sometimes turn out to be rancid, and I've ruined some soups and bean dishes because of this.  By using actual slices of smoke ham, I get the same flavor, intensified, and a little more protein in the soup.  Trust me, its a great way to beef up your soup--or maybe ham it up would be more appropriate.

Add the water to the pot

Tie herbs with cooking twine

and add to the pot

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 1 hour

Remove herb bundle

Puree soup with hand blender

Serve right away:

Note, this makes a very thick soup--if you prefer it a little thinner, add a little vegetable broth after you have pureed it, and simmer for a few minutes more.

Until next time,


Don't split 'til you've had this soup.

Chris