Pea Soup, Weather Irrelevant
May 2nd, 2008 Posted in Dishes
I think I’m one of those cooks who isn’t hugely influenced by the weather: I often make big salads for dinner on cold days, and braise a pork shoulder in the middle of the summer (then again, I have the excuse that SF summers are freezing). If I I see that I’ve got a ham hock that is requesting my attention, I , like many others, automatically think “pea soup,” even on warm days like today. I did indeed have a bag of dried peas (I try always to keep a bag in my pantry), so we were off to the races. I’m almost never without carrots and onions, so I chopped them up fairly finely, threw them in the soup pot with a few strips of bacon, and gently sauteed until the fat released and everything started getting soft.
From there, I put in a pound of dried peas and the ham hock (chopped up a bit). Everything was looking so nice that I couldn’t help but snap this picture of it, before even adding any liquid, knowing that the army-green color it would eventually take on wouldn’t be quite as photogenic. From the state in the photo, it was just a matter of adding a quart of chicken stock, and about another quart of water, bringing to a boil, and simmering for about two hours. Thick, porky, meaty pea soup emerged. I used smoked paprika salt at the end to add even more smoky goodness (it had both smoke and umami from the bacon and from the hock). I’m in a bit of a rut with this soup, because the flavors are so good together, but I’m always looking for different ways to eat pea soup, so if anyone’s got a good one, please speak up!
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6 Responses to “Pea Soup, Weather Irrelevant”
By
Deno on May 3, 2008
Yum! I see in that photo the fine makings for a beautiful soup.
Have you tried lettuce? Lettuce is a nice flavor with pea soup. Personally, I like to cut a variety of lettuce’s a bit chunky and then braise them before adding stock. Incidentally, a little less stock is needed. This is a nice variation for ant nearly any split-pea soup recipe
The great thing about split pea soup is that is that once you find a recipe you like it is easy to work around that recipe with a comfortable versatility. Other suggestion:
- Add Caraway (omit thyme if you use it)
- I like to add Sherry or Madeira to the soup just before serving. This gives the soup a nice ethereal quality.
- Replace the meat: Try short ribs, or the trimmings from a roasted leg of lamb. Sometime mild sausages can be a nice addition along with any of the meats I just mentioned.
-Garnish with a little cream, lightly whipped, and perhaps flavored with citrus zest.
Man, I’m getting a craving for pea-soup now. I may have to inflict my friends with some of these ideas. Do you think this is a acceptable cinco de mayo pot luck dish??
By
Deno on May 3, 2008
Oh, and star anise is also yummy in split pea soup…. maybe If I flavor with chipoltle salt does that maye my soup mexican enough for cinco de mayo?
By
lmc on May 3, 2008
this looks great, and so easy.
By
david adam edelstein on May 5, 2008
Beautiful. Makes me want to come up with a dish that looks like that when it’s finished.
By
ellen on May 7, 2008
a smoked turkey wing or so (they sell them at the Berkeley Bowl) adds a nice smoky meatiness to pea (or other bean) soup. it’s a good switch if you’re feeding non-pork-eaters.
By
xtraslky on May 16, 2008
Ahh, i love the legumes and pork combo! i wonder if some shredded cabbage might work too, as sort of a homey base note? a scant handful, not enough to be notable in the soup, just to augment that subtle complexity.