Little Green Peas

In autumn, there is nothing more comforting than soup. On a cool day, with a breeze nipping at your nose, how good it is to come in to a warm house and smell a pot of soup bubbling! Add to that some homemade bread slathered with fresh butter and a tall glass of iced tea or milk?

I promised lots of soup recipes this fall and winter! There is something just wholesome about soup. You don't have to worry about cutting it. It will stay warm and not lose its texture. It reheats wonderfully and is often better the next day. You can incorporate left-overs into soup and often no-one will notice. It is nourishing for your body. It is good for those on a diet - fills you up sooner. The varieties are nearly endless - you can mix and match to suit your tastes. Substitutions are so easy to live with!

When my son was little, his favorite vegetable was peas. He would pick them up, one by one, smoosh them and then eat them. Occasionally he would offer someone else one - no thanks! While I am not overly fond of peas (especially smooshed) I do like split pea soup.

I made this the other day and we had it hot with bread and butter - MMMMMM.

Split Pea Soup

Approximatley 3 quarts of water - can use low-sodium chicken broth
Ham bone or package of ham hocks
bay leaf
coarse ground pepper
14 oz. split peas (green or yellow, I prefer green)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
olive oil
2 medium onions chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Place ham bone or hocks in soup pot. Add water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours. (I added some ham bullion, too)

Remove bone from pot and let cool. If there is any meat on it, dice and reserve. Discard bone - or if you have a dog, give it to them. Add split peas and thyme to pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover pot and simmer 15 minutes more. Add potatoes to pot. Simmer another 15 minutes or so.

Saute vegs in olive oil (I used a combo of oil and butter) until they are good and caramelized. Add garlic at the end to avoid burning it. Add vegetables and ham to soup pot and simmer 10-15 minutes.



You can also puree this soup before adding the ham, add 1 cup of whipping cream, serve with a dollop of sour cream and you have potage St. Germain. I really like it that way! Leeks are a great addition to split pea soup, they have such a depth of flavor. Also a bit of diced turnip, or some diced tomatoes, drained. I like to add some shredded cabbage in with my other vegs to saute.

Tomorrow - Giveaway time!