Split Pea Soup

Have you gorged yourself on turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie over the past 24 weekend? The food marathon was fun… Until the third or fourth plate when your stomach started to violently yell at you, wasn’t it? It’s not like I’m speaking from experience or anything… But if you did go a bit overboard over the Thanksgiving holiday and you need a bit of a break, eat soup. Let me clarify, eat this soup.

Have you ever cooked with split peas? They take on a super hearty and thick texture and can be paired with lots of different flavors because they are a bit more bland. They are perfect if you’re on a turkey detox and for all this “cold” 60 degree weather. I see all of you people from Michigan rolling your eyes at me at this moment… But, to my defense, I came to the desert to go to college, shouldn’t it be 80 degrees and sunny?

I found this dish while I was perusing the Food Network for hearty soups. This recipe comes from Alton Brown and it is pretty great. He kicks up his soup with the addition of curry powder (it’s REALLY good with the curry), but it can be omitted for more sensitive palates. I positively love it. I’ve made it several times and used different vegetables depending on what’s in my kitchen.

The split peas are rinsed before you use them. I honestly wish I could say I knew why this is done, but I don’t. I do it anyway. You should too!

Butter in a soup pot. Need I say more?

Onions and garlic sweat in the butter until they look “sweaty”. Believe me, it may sound funny but it’s a glorious smell.

Lots of tasty veggies are popped into the pot with the split peas and broth. You can be creative here and add any soup/stew veggies you think would be amazing. Don’t be shy, I know you’re a wiz in the kitchen when it comes to picking out random things to throw into a giant pot of soup.

Super comforting. Super healthy. 100% turkey detox goodness.

Split Pea Soup (with Curry, or not) Recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalk of celery, diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1 bag dried green (or yellow) split peas, picked over and rinsed
6-7 cups chicken or vegetable broth (depending on desired thickness)
1 tablespoon curry powder (optional)

Method

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and a good pinch of salt and sweat, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sweat for an additional 1-2 minutes. Make sure onion and garlic DON’T brown.
Add remaining chopped veggies, split peas, broth, and curry powder, if you’re using it. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 45-50 minutes or until veggies are tender and peas no longer hold their shape (they basically look like mush). Salt and pepper to taste.
I used a potato masher to mash up the soup a bit so it would be thicker, but you can also use an emulsion blender or a regular blender and puree to desired consistency. You may want to puree/mash only half of it so it is still a little chunky.
Serve hot with a giant piece of crusty bread and good company.
Refrigerate leftovers for 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.