Recipe Win: Split Pea Soup

Spring is aaaalmoooost here.  

Ok, not quite that here.  No flowers yet, but the snow mountain outside my window is slowly shrinking into a snow hill.  It's a tease, though, because I don't want to wear my coat, but 45 degrees is still chilly.  And tomorrow it's supposed to rain, so 45 will feel pretty cold.

So... it's still soup weather.  I can live with that.  But, I better show you this soup before it's too late!

I actually made this a few times during the winter but I just couldn't seem to get it right.  Remember the Recipe Fail?

Recipe Win!

If you're like me, and need to force-feed yourself vegetables, then soup is a good way to get them in you quickly and painlessly.  And it's a great warm-up on a chilly, rainy day. Pea soup is perfect for these occasions.

Wait! Don't stop reading!

You might not consider yourself a fan of split pea soup, but I want you to ask yourself... have you ever really tried it?

Because it might surprise you.

I never thought I liked it until it was placed in front of me at one lovely little Italian restaurant in Binghamton.  I gave it a try, and it was delicious!  Mine isn't quite as amazing as that, but it's pretty yummy-- trust me.

Split Pea Soup

1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 (ish) garlic cloves, minced
1 white potato, chopped
1 cup dry split peas
2 bay leaves
2 bouillon cubes of your choice (I used chicken, but you could use veggie if you want to make this vegan)
lots of water


Directions

1. At the bottom of a large pot, drizzle a bit of oil and begin sauteing your onion, celery, carrot, and potato.  When they begin to soften, add the garlic.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Add the peas and fill the pot to about 3/4 with water (6-8 cups).  Bring to a boil.  Throw in your bay leaves and bouillon.
3. Turn the heat down and simmer for a long time, 1-2 hours.  It may get really thick (you know the saying "thick as pea soup?") so add water when necessary, a cup at a time-- you can always add more, but you can't take it out! You'll know it's done with the peas get soft and break apart.
4. If you like it rustic, eat it just like this.  But I like a smoother texture, so I give it a whiz with my immersion blender, for a silkier soup.

Serve with a little cheese, croutons, or crunchy bread.  Yum!  A little goes a long way. For a soup, this one sticks with you, so it makes for a great lunch. (Fiber, anyone?)  AND it's all veggie, so it's super duper good for you.  It's cheap and easy, just takes a little waiting time, but well worth it in the end (and it's freezable!).

Now's the time to use up all of those wintery things in your cabinets and basement (like root veggies and dried beans) to make room for all the freshies coming our way! Yay!  Look out for asparagus and spinach, first to shoot up.

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot 

and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.  

Charles Dickens

"I'm strong to the finich cause I eats me spinach.."

We're now knee-deep in spinach season, so I'd like to share my latest experiments with this leafy green. For the most part, my spinach consumption was relegated to the Baby Spinach Salad (topped with wheat berries and dried fruit, it's delish), and only recently had I ventured into the Sauteed Spinach arena. However, eating seasonally means you need to get creative, especially when there's still only a few veggies available. Here's two of my new favorite ways to eat spinach:

Spinach Pasta

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found in the New York Times (mine is better)

A bunch of spinach (like, literally, a bunch of it)

capers

1/2 onion, chopped

garlic, a few cloves, minced, or chopped, if you're lazy like me (I like to call it "rustic")

a protein -- chicken is good, and even sardines are yummy in this, trust me on this one

lemon (for the juice)

parmesan

whole wheat spaghetti

1. Boil the pasta. Soak your spinach (it not only needs to be clean, but wet, so just let it sit in a bowl of water until you're ready).

2. In a pan, in a little olive oil, saute the onions, then garlic and capers.

3. Throw in your protein and cook it up.

4. When everything else is pretty much cooked, drop in your spinach directly from the bowl of water into the pan (the water will help steam it). Keep flipping it over into all the yummy stuff until it just starts to wilt, then immediately remove it from the heat, before it turns into black mush.

5. Toss it all with the rinsed pasta, squeeze some lemon juice over it, sprinkle some parm, and you're good to go.

* Don't skip the capers, they really make this dish!

Sausage Soup (or Cheater's Italian Wedding)

This is a twist on a soup my mom makes, using spinach instead of kale, and leaving out the cream. You could use whichever green you happen to have on hand (I just always have spinach in my fridge).

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

a link or two of sausage

spinach to taste (you can use frozen in a pinch)

1/2 onion, chopped

a box of broth (I used organic veggie, but chicken broth would work too)

parmesan

1. Cook the rice according to your package. Make sure it is very saturated with the water (if it's dry, it'll soak up all your broth!) DO NOT cook the rice in the soup, if you want any broth left.

2. Saute the onion in a little olive oil, then toss in the sausage (take off the skin and break it up first). Cook the sausage through until done.

3. Pour in the broth, add about a cup of water, and bring to a boil. Toss in the spinach and let it wilt in the broth.

4. Turn down the heat, stir in the rice. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and some hearty bread. I guess you could use something healthier like chicken, but I think it would be boring then, the sausage really adds delicious spiciness. My mom's variation uses kale, chopped potatoes instead of rice, and she puts a splash of cream in at the end. You're welcome to try that out too.

Happy eating! And please let me know if you try (or adjust) any of the recipes I share!