Split Pea Soup

Anne and I in high school with my horse Pal :)

J and I decided to make a soup on Sunday evening.  We like to do that, because the leftovers make for great lunches over the next several days.  Plus we usually have a bit more time to spend in the kitchen on Sundays as opposed to week day evenings.

This week I decided to make split pea soup.  In high school, my best friend Anne and I would travel up north every year to San Luis Obispo for the Cal Poly Royal, a several day demonstration by their agriculture and animal science majors.  Every year, without fail, we would visit Anderson's for their split pea soup, sometimes a few times each trip.  One year, we even stayed at the hotel which meant we ate even more soup!

Their soup was served with pumpernickel bread and butter--if it's a good split pea soup you don't need anything else!

Split Pea Soup, modified from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
3 slices of bacon--the bacon really adds a smoky flavor that can't be beat.  For vegetarians, I recommend using veggie bacon
1 1/2 cups of chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
5 cups of water--I added some chicken bouillon to this because I didn't believe just water, bacon, spices and split peas would be very flavorful.  You can of course use vegetable bouillon or stock
1 1/2 cups of split peas
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried savory--I didn't have any on hand, so I used Herbes de Provence from Penzey's which contained savory and other yummy spices
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt


Kitchen Supplies:
Stock pot or dutch oven
Measuring cup
Potato masher or immersion blender

Cook bacon over medium heat for five minutes.  Add onion to the pan and saute for another five minutes until onions have softened and are slightly brown.  Add five cups of water (or stock) to the pan and stir to loosen brown bits on the bottom of the pot.  If using bouillon, add cubes or powder at this time.  Add spices (except salt) and peas, bringing to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until peas are tender.  Remove from heat and add salt to taste.  Mash with potato masher to desired consistency or use immersion blender (it's on my wish list!) to blend.  Serve warm with bread.

Calories: 189 calories
Serving size: about 1/2 cup: Serves six adults as main course, eight as a first course

Enjoy!