Split Pea Soup

One of the most fulfilling kinds of cooking for my family is cooking a nice soup or stew. It’s so comforting especially in cold weather, usually frugal, fills the house with fragrant aroma, and an indication that my day at least has dinner planned and already on the stove — all very satisfying feelings.

Split Pea Soup is one of the comfort foods I had growing up, although some siblings wouldn’t touch the green liquid. But when I have a leftover ham bone, I have to decide whether it will be red beans and rice or Split Pea Soup. The latter won this week. Yum!

This can be the easiest meal ever. The peas do not need to be soaked, as do dried beans, so after rinsing, put all the ingredients together, bring to a boil, then simmer a few hours and the main portion of your meal is done.

I use Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux? by Marcelle Bienvenu as a basis for my recipe, although I add some changes. (I didn’t realize there’s a reprint in hardbound version. My paperback is worn and such an awkward size. I have to say replacing would be a temptation.)

Trader Joe’s sells a Mirepoix which saves that step of cutting and dicing the onions, carrots, and celery (the trinity in French cooking). It’s a luxury I’m glad I took since we’re under the weather here. My adapted version is below.

Split Pea Soup (serves 8-10)

1 pound dried split peas
1 ham bone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham (I didn’t have a large ham bone or lots of ham, so in the last step of adding the wine I added chopped kielbasa into the soup.)
3 quarts chicken broth and water (I use Imagine brand, 2 quarts brother, 1 quart water)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon ground thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and black pepper to taste
a few dashes Tabasco sauce
1 cup sherry or dry white wine

Put all ingredients (except wine/sherry) into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 hours. Add white wine or sherry (and sausage) and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Serve with crusty French bread, Southern biscuits, or cornbread, perhaps a salad to round it all off.

I enjoyed a leftover bowl for lunch. It always seems to be better the next day. My son likes to help in the kitchen, but his question every time we make this is “What happened to the peas?”

This is also what I will serve on Palm Sunday, as this is known as Car-Sunday or Carling Sunday. See the links below for more information.
Pease Porridge
Yellow Split Pea Soup

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Our homeschool group hosted the parish Lenten Soup Supper last night. I volunteered to bring a pot of soup, knowing I could have control over the ingredients and this could be safe for my two sons. The recipe was originally from Paula Deen, but I adapted and tweaked a bit. My sisters raved and asked for the recipe, so I’m sharing it here. It’s a keeper, and will definitely be added to the rotation. The only thing that takes time is the peeling and chopping.

I doubled the recipe and saved some for dinner tonight, too.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup celery, sliced
1-2 cups carrots, sliced (about 3-6 small)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 medium)
1 cup peas (optional)
2 (14.5 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (undrained)
32 oz. or more Chicken Broth (I use Imagine brand in a box)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Grated Parmesan, optional

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Salt chicken to taste and add to the pot, cooking for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add onion, garlic, celery, and carrots, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, (peas,) and chicken broth. Add more chicken broth if more liquid is needed for the soup. Add oregano and basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Top each serving with grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve with salad and bread.

Mommy’s Comfort Food–Chicken Soup

This weekend I contracted a nasty bug that sent me to bed. The difficult part in my recuperation was that we were visiting my mil, so I didn’t have all the comforts of home. When I could finally eat, the only food I wanted was some chicken soup. It was a welcome treat to actually have the same batch of chicken soup I made for my mil a few weeks before when she was recuperating! My gift to her came back as a gift to me!

Interesting thing about chicken soup…it’s a comfort, soothing, healing food and yet with all the myriad of cookbooks I have on my shelves, I don’t think I have more than 3 or 4 cookbooks that have this basic recipe. Progresso and Campbell seemed to have wiped out soup making. I myself always thought making soup was difficult or time-consuming. It’s only been in recent years that I’ve embraced cooking my own soup. And there are so many different types of soups that fit the bill of egg, wheat and milk free meals.

Although the weather is getting warmer and soup isn’t usually on the menu, I recommend a pot of chicken soup for the medicine cabinet. Freeze a batch in small amounts to have on hand for those unexpected family sicknesses–healthier and tastier than opening up a can!

This recipe is adapted from A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz

Chicken Soup 1 3-4 pound chicken
2 1/2 quarts water (10 cups) or chicken broth
2-3 teaspoons salt
8 peppercorns
4 cloves (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 sprigs parsley or dried parsley
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 ribs celery, finely chopped
Vegetables such as:
4 or 5 potatoes, chopped or 1 – 1 1/2 cups raw brown rice or barley
1 cup green beans
4-6 carrots, chopped
1-2 cups of peas (optional)
2 Tablespoons butter (optional)

Cut chicken into serving pieces. Place them in a large pot with the water (or broth) and salt. Bring to a boil. Skim off scum from top.

Place spices in tea ball or cheesecloth and add to water with onion, celery and garlic.

Simmer partially covered until chicken is tender (about 1-2 hours). Remove chicken. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove bones and return meat to pot. Add desired vegetables, simmer for another 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. If adding peas, add only at the last minutes of cooking.

Remove spice bag. Taste for seasoning. Stir in butter if desired.