Comfort Food, Soup

Soothing Split Pea Soup

Posted by 5starchefnurse on

There are perfect comfort food soups that warms your heart down to your toes. In this lentil soup, the flavors lingers on one spoonful after the other–until the bowl clears with the last piece of bread. This soup recipe offers a hearty first course paired with Parmesan baguette toasts.

Split peas are dried green peas that are rich in folate, potassium, magnesium and a good source of protein and fiber. Touted as good antihypertensive as well as decreasing the bad lipids in our bodies.

This simple and easy to make recipe can be made without too much of a fuss. Keep those bone in ham from Thanksgiving stored in the freezer, and most other ingredients can be found in a reliable pantry.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic green split peas ( 16 oz. package)

3/4 cup green lentils

1 32-oz organic chicken broth

3 tbsp. of vegetable oil

5 Laurel leaves

5 celery stalks cut into medium dice

1 yellow onion cut into medium dice

1 medium carrot cut into medium dice

4-5 garlic cloves minced

2 tbsp. fish sauce

salt and pepper to taste

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Parsley for garnishing

1 cup diced ham, fried

Side:

Oven Toasted Baguette with Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

In a soup pot, heat vegetable oil under medium heat. Add, garlic, then onions, celery, and carrots. Sweat until translucent.
Add the ham bones and laurel leaves, continue to stir for 5 minutes. Increase to medium high heat.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a vigorous simmer to cook the bones through. Increase to high heat, then add the lentils.
Add the split pea and bring to a simmer, then add the rest of the seasonings: salt and pepper, thyme, fish sauce if using. Some froth may precipitate from the lentils/peas- simply skim them off. Turn to low to medium heat and continue to lightly simmer until the peas/lentils begin to soften and become thickened. Continue to stir after every 6-8 minutes at a time to prevent sticking to the pot bottom.

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