A BETTER PEA SOUP

My hubby loves pea soup made with a ham bone and chunks of meat.  Neither of us likes thick pea soup, though, so I always thin the broth.  The recipe I worked from didn't include potatoes or ham, two ingredients that I usually include in split pea soup.  I left out the dried onion soup mix and leeks that the recipe called for, and added a ham bone and chunks of ham. Otherwise, I followed the recipe.

We both gave this one two thumbs up, way up.  The soup is light and has a little of "I don't know what it is" flavors from Dijon mustard, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.  It’s definitely a keeper, but my fave is still Quick and Easy Frozen Pea Soup.

If you don't have a ham bone, not to worry, this recipe was originally made without it anyway.  You can add in ham chunks or bacon at the end, or leave those out too.

A Better Pea Soup Adapted from Parade magazine, Judy Collins Rating:  9.0 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 cup chopped peeled carrots 1 large sweet onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, peeled, chopped 1 large clove garlic (about 2 tsp.), chopped 8 oz. split peas, rinsed, drained 1 ham bone, excess meat cut off, chopped and set aside 32 oz. low-sodium chicken broth 3 cups water (more if needed) 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 bay leaf 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp. Morton kosher salt 1/4 tsp. white pepper In a Dutch oven, saute carrots, onion, celery and garlic in the oil over medium heat till soft, about 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients, raise heat to high, and bring to a full boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover pot and cook about 2 hours, stirring and skimming surface occasionally.  If you like your soup thicker, remove the ham bone and cook soup without cover over medium-high heat until reduced to desired thickness.  Remove from heat and let sit 1 hour at room temperature.  Puree.  Adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed.  Add reserved ham chunks to soup; reheat briefly before serving.  Yield:  About 6 servings

MEATY PEA SOUP

This is a delicious pea soup, rich with the flavors and ingredients that men love.  Though the broth is thin, the addition of beef stock gives the soup a beefy heaviness.  If you like your pea soup thick, use 3 cups of chicken broth.  Add more, a little at a time, till you get the soup to the consistency you want.  Hubby lapped this soup up while holding up one thumb.  I much prefer the lighter taste and texture of fresh pea soup. 

Meaty Pea Soup Rating:  9 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled, rinsed and chopped 1/2 large celery stalk, peeled, rinsed and chopped 1 garlic clove, grated 1 meaty ham bone, meat removed and chopped to provide about 2 cups of ham 8 oz. split peas, rinsed, picked over and drained 1-1/4 quarts low-sodium fat-free chicken broth 1 cup low-sodium beef broth 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 1 medium potato, peeled and chopped 1/8 tsp. white pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley In Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until veggies are soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and ham bone and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add peas and broth.  Tie thyme sprigs and bay leaves together with kitchen twine and drop into pot.     Cook about 1-1/2 hours, or till peas and other veggies are cooked through and soft.    Remove thyme and bay leaves.  If desired, puree veggies, or mash with potato masher.  Add potatoes, pepper and parsley.   (No salt is necessary, as broth and ham provide sufficient saltiness to this soup.) Cook 10-15 minutes, or till potatoes are fork tender.  Add in reserved chopped ham.  Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or pizza, if desired.  Yield:  About 2-1/2 quarts of soup.

QUICK AND EASY FROZEN PEA SOUP

This soup is so easy to make and so tasty, I may never make split pea soup again, much to my hubby's consternation. Of course, you can buy fresh peas and sit there and shuck them, but frozen organic peas were my choice. Most of the work had already been done for me. Serve this with a slice of pizza or a grilled cheese sandwich and you have a complete meal.

Quick and Easy Frozen Pea Soup
Adapted loosely from allrecipes.com, Lizz C., Recipe ID 95110
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 2 Tbsp. Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves
1 lb. bag frozen organic peas, rinsed and drained
Sea salt and pepper to taste
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 (14 oz) can low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
Optional: 1/4 cup fat-free half and half
Optional Garnish: cooked crumbled bacon & additional thyme sprigs

In 3-quart heavy pot, melt SB over medium heat; saute onions and garlic till soft, about 5 minutes. Add peas, salt, pepper and thyme sprigs. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until peas are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs, then use immersion blender to puree soup (or pour soup into blender in 2 batches to puree and return to pot). Stir in broth. If desired, top each serving with some half and half, bacon and thyme sprigs. Yield: about 4 servings (This freezes very well.)

SPLIT PEA SOUP

Can anything taste better on a cold, wintry day than homemade split pea soup? This is one of our favorites, especially when there's a ham bone to put in it. The ham we served for the Super Bowl Party gave us a nice meaty bone, which I froze. When the weather turned cold again, I pulled it out and made this soup. Unbelievably, a little bag of split peas produced more than 5 quarts of split pea soup. One was eaten on the spot and the others went into the freezer. I can't wait to eat them up.
Split Pea Soup
INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 medium carrots
1 celery stalk with leaves
1 bag split peas
2-1/2 quarts of low-sodium chicken broth
1 nice meaty ham bone (or 2 meaty ham hocks)
Bouquet Garni (several fresh thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 9 peppercorns, wrapped in leek
leaves or cheesecloth and tied with kitchen twine)
1 large potato

DIRECTIONS: Chop the onion into pieces. You can chop it coarsely if you are going to puree the soup. Chop it finer if you are not going to puree. (I never puree because I like little chunks in my soup.) The chopping will be faster and easier if you have a food processor. In a large heavy stockpot, saute the onion in the olive oil. After the onion is wilted, add the garlic. In the meantime, chop the carrots and celery the same as the onion. Add them to the pot. Rinse the peas and pick out any stones. Add the peas, broth, ham bone and Bouquet Garni to the pot after the vegetables are wilted. Bring to a boil. Meantime, scrub, peel and cut the potato in larger chunks than the other veggies. Add to the pot when it boils. Reduce heat and cover pot. Cook this for about 1 hour over a low heat, covered; and then remove cover and continue cooking about another half hour to reduce liquids till veggies and peas are very soft and ham is falling off the bone. Remove ham bone and slice meat into small pieces. Put the meat back in the pot. Taste for seasonings. You shouldn't need much, if any, salt. Add pepper if you want it. You now have a lot of soup to enjoy!