Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
In that wondrous book, "The Joy of Cooking" paperback version purchased in the late 1970's, I learned a technique called Binding the soup, which prevents the solids in pea soup from settling to the pot bottom. I have used it many, many times, and with great success. But I have also made pea soup that remained homogenized without having to bind it. I will give both techniques here as they are both valid, and you can use whichever you like best. I will also give the advantages of each. And lastly, I give you a recipe for split pea soup, Canadian Style that is equally delicious, but quite different in flavor.
Split pea soup #1 Bound
Ingredients:
*16 oz package green split peas
*Salt
*Coarse-Ground Black Pepper
*1 large yellow onion, diced
*2 large carrots, thinly sliced
*Pork, your choice - ham bone, ham hock, pork bones, cubed Boston Butt
*Water
3 tbs. Butter
3 tbs. all purpose flour
Wash peas in a fine mesh strainer, rinsing out any floaters or foreign objects such as pebbles. Measure the peas and place into a 3 quart soup pot. Add twice the volume of the peas in water to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the meat, and or bones. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent the peas from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients , except the salt and pepper, and cook for another half hour, again covered and over low heat.
Test the peas by spooning out just a few, and biting them. There should be no crunch. If there is, cook for an additional 20 minutes. Again test. When the peas are soft, remove the bone. Add salt and pepper, a tsp. at a time, and stir in. Test and correct the seasoning to your taste. add one extra cup of water to the soup.
Melt 3 tbs. butter in a saute pan. Add 3 tbs. flour and stir to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat until it turns blonde. Ladle a half cup of the soup broth into the roux while stirring, to form a paste. Add more broth to form a thick sauce. Add the sauce to the soup and stir in until all is silky smooth. If you like your pea soup creamy, remove all meat and use an immersion blender to make it velvety smooth. Put the meat back in and serve.
The advantage of this peas soup, with the pea solids bound by the roux, is that it is milder in flavor than without the roux. It is silky smooth and can luxurious in the mouth. It may also be enjoyed by those who are not so crazy about straight pea soup as the flavor is more subtle.
Split Pea Soup #2
Ingredients:
*16 oz package green split peas
*Salt
*Coarse-Ground Black Pepper
*1 large yellow onion, diced
*2 large carrots, thinly sliced
*Pork, your choice - ham bone, ham hock, pork bones, cubed Boston Butt
*WaterWash and clean the split peas. Add twice the volume of water as volume of peas to a 3 quart soup pot. Bring to a boil. Add the bones/meat, cover and simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours. Test the peas. they should be soft. add the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper. Cook for 30 mintues more. Remove the bones and meat. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or simply stir with a spoon until smooth. Add the meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. You might add a couple drops of liquid smoke if you desire, then stir in.
This soup is slightly grainy, but has a more robust split pea flavor. It is thick enough that the pea solids suspend themselves without seperating to the pot bottom. If you like a heavier soup, then this is the one to use.
Split Pea Soup #3, Canadian Style
Though I love all three of the recipes given, this is my favorite. It is patterned after a brand of Canadian Pea Soup available in my home town called Habitant, Candian Pea Soup, but is richer in flavor, aka Goodweed style. Because it uses yellow split peas, the flavor is more delicate, but rich at the same time. Try it. It just might become your favorite too.
Ingredients:
*16 oz. package yellow split peas
*Pork bones or cubed pork steaks with bones
*1 large white onion, diced
*Salt
*Pepper
*1/4 cup cream
*water
Add all ingredients to a large soup pot, except the salt and pepper, and cream. Bring everything to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours. Test the peas. When tender, add salt, and pepper to the soup to taste. add a little at a time, stir in to dissolve the salt, and repeat after tasting until it tastes great to you. Add the cream and stir in. Remove the bones and sitr. Don't blend this one. Serve with a good, rustic bread, whole grain of course.
Just becasue I'm Goodweed, and can't leave well enough alone, you might try substituting chicken bones and meat for the pork in the yellow split pea soup. Playing the flavors around in my head, it should be pretty tasty.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
Split pea soup #1 Bound
Ingredients:
*16 oz package green split peas
*Salt
*Coarse-Ground Black Pepper
*1 large yellow onion, diced
*2 large carrots, thinly sliced
*Pork, your choice - ham bone, ham hock, pork bones, cubed Boston Butt
*Water
3 tbs. Butter
3 tbs. all purpose flour
Wash peas in a fine mesh strainer, rinsing out any floaters or foreign objects such as pebbles. Measure the peas and place into a 3 quart soup pot. Add twice the volume of the peas in water to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the meat, and or bones. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent the peas from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients , except the salt and pepper, and cook for another half hour, again covered and over low heat.
Test the peas by spooning out just a few, and biting them. There should be no crunch. If there is, cook for an additional 20 minutes. Again test. When the peas are soft, remove the bone. Add salt and pepper, a tsp. at a time, and stir in. Test and correct the seasoning to your taste. add one extra cup of water to the soup.
Melt 3 tbs. butter in a saute pan. Add 3 tbs. flour and stir to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat until it turns blonde. Ladle a half cup of the soup broth into the roux while stirring, to form a paste. Add more broth to form a thick sauce. Add the sauce to the soup and stir in until all is silky smooth. If you like your pea soup creamy, remove all meat and use an immersion blender to make it velvety smooth. Put the meat back in and serve.
The advantage of this peas soup, with the pea solids bound by the roux, is that it is milder in flavor than without the roux. It is silky smooth and can luxurious in the mouth. It may also be enjoyed by those who are not so crazy about straight pea soup as the flavor is more subtle.
Split Pea Soup #2
Ingredients:
*16 oz package green split peas
*Salt
*Coarse-Ground Black Pepper
*1 large yellow onion, diced
*2 large carrots, thinly sliced
*Pork, your choice - ham bone, ham hock, pork bones, cubed Boston Butt
*WaterWash and clean the split peas. Add twice the volume of water as volume of peas to a 3 quart soup pot. Bring to a boil. Add the bones/meat, cover and simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours. Test the peas. they should be soft. add the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper. Cook for 30 mintues more. Remove the bones and meat. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or simply stir with a spoon until smooth. Add the meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. You might add a couple drops of liquid smoke if you desire, then stir in.
This soup is slightly grainy, but has a more robust split pea flavor. It is thick enough that the pea solids suspend themselves without seperating to the pot bottom. If you like a heavier soup, then this is the one to use.
Split Pea Soup #3, Canadian Style
Though I love all three of the recipes given, this is my favorite. It is patterned after a brand of Canadian Pea Soup available in my home town called Habitant, Candian Pea Soup, but is richer in flavor, aka Goodweed style. Because it uses yellow split peas, the flavor is more delicate, but rich at the same time. Try it. It just might become your favorite too.
Ingredients:
*16 oz. package yellow split peas
*Pork bones or cubed pork steaks with bones
*1 large white onion, diced
*Salt
*Pepper
*1/4 cup cream
*water
Add all ingredients to a large soup pot, except the salt and pepper, and cream. Bring everything to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours. Test the peas. When tender, add salt, and pepper to the soup to taste. add a little at a time, stir in to dissolve the salt, and repeat after tasting until it tastes great to you. Add the cream and stir in. Remove the bones and sitr. Don't blend this one. Serve with a good, rustic bread, whole grain of course.
Just becasue I'm Goodweed, and can't leave well enough alone, you might try substituting chicken bones and meat for the pork in the yellow split pea soup. Playing the flavors around in my head, it should be pretty tasty.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
