Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup is one of my favorite soups and the nice thing about it is that it’s fairly simple to make, nice and filling and can be made vegetarian and meat and taste yum both ways.

Often if I’m preparing it for Shabbat, I will slice up some kielbasa or kabanos and toss it in to cook with the split peas to add a richness of flavor and to give it more depth.

In the winter months, I will add potatoes and make it a heavier more stick to your ribs meal but in the warmer months I still find it delicious but I’ll use more carrot and let the split peas do their thing, thickening up with the cooking but adding a bit more liquid and having it a little lighter. Either way, I find it really satisfying.

First take two onions and peel and chop.

I continue to smaller pieces. Then peel and chop roughly some carrots.

You have the option of adding the potato to the soup for a heavier and thicker body or not. I usually do add at least one nice sized potato. Then take a nice sized soup pot and put in some oil and the chopped onion.

Start to sautee the onion till it turns a very light brown. Add the chopped vegetables to the soup pot and lightly stir in the onion and oil. Pull of the fire.

Then, take 2 cups of split peas and pick through and clean them and rinse in a sieve.

Shake the split peas into the pot (no sizzle since you pulled it off the fire) and add to the pot 10 cups of water, a bay leaf, 3 teaspoons of salt (yes, I’m not kidding, you will need it. If you are freaked out at the prospect of this much salt, although for this amount of soup it’s not outrageous, then use 2 teaspoons and taste. Wait and see my friends…)

Put back on the fire and bring the whole lot to the boil and lower to a medium simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot so the peas won’t stick and stirring vigorously till the soup is in motion and simmering. Then cover on a tilt with the lid and let simmer away for about an hour and a half (sometimes the peas are tough and need a bit longer).

If you want this to be a meat soup, you can add whilst the peas are cooking, some rough chopped pieces of kabanos or kielbasa, leaving some for garnish on top of the soup before serving. After you test the split peas by biting into them (tried and true method) to see if they are fully cooked and nice and soft, take a stick blender and after pulling the pot off the fire, carefully blend the soup to a lovely consistency. You can make the soup thicker or thinner with a bit more water or vegetable stock (or toss in a bit of bullion cube or soup powder if you wish) and serve piping hot to the delight of all.

Split Pea Soup

2 cups (about 500 grams or about 1 pound) split peas, picked through and rinsed and drained in a sieve

two medium onions

3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil

2 potatoes peeled and roughly chopped

4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 bay leaf (optional but tasty)

3 teaspoons salt

10 cups water

2 heaping tablespoons pareve chicken soup powder (optional)

4 kabanos or 2 kielbasa if you wish to make this meat (optional)

Directions:

Take a big soup pot and put in the oil. Bring to medium and sautee the onions till light golden brown, don’t overcook or they get bitter. Add the other chopped veggies and toss in the oil and onion till all coated. Pull off the fire and add the 10 cups water, the bay leaf, the salt and if you wish, the soup powder and lastly, the split peas.

Bring the whole thing to the boil and lower to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot so the peas don’t stick and let the soup get into motion. Let cook on low simmer for approximately 1 and 1/2 hours, tasting the peas to make sure they are truly soft. For the last 1/2 hour, if you wish, you may add half the kabanos (or kielbasa) rough chopped to the soup, or keep it vegetarian, as you wish.

Let soup cool a bit off the fire and using a stick blender, blend till a nice consistency. Ladle into deep bowls and if you wish, garnish with a few slices of kielbasa. Serve with crusty bread or if on Shabbat, great with challah!