The Best Split Pea Soup Ever
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Some soups demand a fireside, others require a summer afternoon. This soup defies seasons, and tastes just as delicious in the spring as in the winter. Perfect for dipping into with a hunk of brown bread or satisfying alone. The addition of whole peas and pecorino at the end makes for a satisfying sweet/salty finish. Plus, even Daniel made it through half a bowl before realizing Split Peas are still peas.
Ingredients
In heavy-bottomed big pot sauté the following items, all sliced, in a splash of olive oil:
- 2 leeks (washed and trimmed of much of the green)
- 5 or 6 big carrots (peeled and trimmed)
- 2 onions
- 8 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 5 celery stalks with leaves
Add:
- 1 1/2 lbs. rinsed spilt peas
- 2 quarts organic chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 veggie bouillon cube (one of the rectangles — like Rapunzel's vegan with sea salt — or 2 smaller cubes)
- 2 cups water
- Big slug of bad brandy (a slug here means one of those bottles you might get on a plane)
- 2 bay leaves
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Instructions
- 1. Bring to a boil, stirring a bit as you go.
- 2. Once boiled, turn flame off. Stir. Put pot into 350 degree oven for 2 hours with lid cracked. Add one or two additional cups of water as the time goes, stirring as you add.
- 3. After about 2 hours (could be less or a bit more) blend in food processor or blender, or with hand held.
- 4. Add bag of frozen peas (thawed briefly) to very hot soup right before serving, serve with shredded Pecorino Romano.
About The Show
In 1994, acclaimed food writer and cooking teacher Lynne Rossetto Kasper was receiving accolades for her debut book, The Splendid Table, which at that time was the only book to have won both the James Beard and Julia Child Cookbook of the Year awards. Among the many people enchanted by the book was producer and foodie Sally Swift, who thought the time could be right for a radio program on food.
