Mom made great soup. Most Saturday nights we had a bowl of hearty legume soup, or a homemade batch of baked beans. A cabbage salad and some good bread rounded out the menu. Soups are created from ingredients on hand and should vary from batch to batch. The story of Stone Soup gives the idea of how a great soup is created.Soups made from dried legumes have been made in all cultures for millennia. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage served by his brother Jacob. This pea soup, made in the European tradition, can be sliced with a knife when cooled.
It is thick, like pea soup fog. When I made the soup tonight, I took note of ingredients and quantities. I had a ham bone, ham, carrots, potatoes and half a tin of tomato paste in the fridge that needed to be used up, so in it went.1 pound split green peas (I find split yellow peas take longer to cook)
1 large onion, diced
diced garlic to taste
8 cups water
stone soup additions (see below)
seasoning to taste ( I like to include a few hot pepper flakes)
In a large pot, soften onion in a little oil over medium heat. Add dried peas and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 hour.
Stone soup additions
Add any or all of these ingredients to the pot….
Ham bone
1 cup diced ham
2 peeled and sliced carrots
4 small potatoes, diced
tomato paste
canned tomatoes (a 19 ounce can will do)
2 comments:
In our house we usualy make it with shredded carrots too. I've never tried with the tomatos, may have to give that a go next time.
Pea soup is great with a ham hock or a cottage roll chopped up too.
Peter- the soup is really good when made with a good ham bone. I usually don't have one though.
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