DUTCH SPLIT PEA SOUP

This is a delicious soup, and my favorite when it comes to a split pea soup recipe ;-) I cook this soup all day long in my crock-pot (instruction at end of post) but I am posting the recipe as originally written in my cookbook.

Simmering this soup a long time is what gives it the rich flavor you will enjoy. The flavor also improves with age; if needed add more broth to it when reheating.

And it can be frozen.

DUTCH SPLIT PEA SOUP – 6 servings

1 pound dried green spit peas

6 cups water

4 cups (approximately) broth (chicken or beef)

¼ pound smoked pork or ham, diced

¼ cup celery, chopped with some leaves

2 leeks (white part only), thinly sliced and washed well

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2-1/2 cups diced potatoes

1-1/2 cups diced carrots (2 large)

½ teaspoon salt, if desired

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash hot pepper sauce (Tabasco), or to taste

In a Dutch Oven pan, combine the peas and water. Bring the water to a boil, and cook the peas for 2 minutes. Remove the peas from the heat, cover the pan and let stand for 1 hour.

Add the broth, meat, celery, leeks, and onion. Bring the soup to a boil – reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the soup for 1-1/2 hours.

Add the potatoes and carrots, and cook the soup for another 15 to 30 minutes (the peas should disintegrate). If the soup gets too thick, thin it with additional broth.

Season the soup with salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Serve and enjoy! :-D

*CROCK-POT DIRECTIONS: Put ALL ingredients above into the crock-pot. Set to Low and simmer 6 – 8 hours. Stir occasionally while cooking.:

**IF USING FROZEN BROTH AND VEGGIES, set crock-pot to High and cook for 6 hours. Stir occasionally while cooking.

All of the ingredients - except for the split peas - was frozen so it looks like I overfilled the crock, but once it was plugged in and turned on, the ice melted and the ingredients were easy to push down into the broth.

After I got the soup underway, I was walking through the back livingroom past the sliding glass doors, and happened to catch a glimpse of a spot of light purple near my Patio Apple Trees at the far end of the back yard: CROCUSES! What a nice Shabbat surprise :-D And there were hyacinth leaves poking out of the past Fall’s flowerbed litter mulch too:

Early Crocuses in the back flower bed; it's still too wet to weed, but the that's okay ... the tiny flowers hide the weeds for now. LOL

Hyacinth leaves pushing through in the back flowerbed

Then I walked with anticipation to the front livingroom, looked out the window, and saw that the early crocuses had come up in the front flower bed too – what a sight for winter weary eyes! So I ran and got my boots on and stepped outside to see what else was making an appearance; my eyes are so hungry for color and I can’t wait for winter drabness to be over …

Early Crocuses poking up through the shiny dark purple Ajuga ground cover in the front flowerbed

Contrasting Tulip & Ajuga leaves highlighting brilliantly in the front flowerbed

Primroses showing in the front flowerbed; a little bedraggled around the edges due to the stormy rainfall, but otherwise bravely and boldly heralding Spring on the horizon ;-)

Wild Woodland Hyacinths and Tulips in the front flowerbed