Split Pea Soup

A few years ago, I had split pea soup for the first time in my life. I'd always thought that it sounded sort of gross, although now I can't even remember why that was, but the point is that, when I tasted it, it was really good. Until now, that has been the only time I've ever had split pea soup, and I never knew whether I'd just been lucky enough to sample a great recipe or whether split pea soup really was delicious. So when I saw Ina make it recently, I knew it was time for me to come to a final verdict on split pea soup.


The great thing about this soup is that it's incredibly cheap (67 cents for a pound of split peas!) and incredibly easy. Chop up some onion, carrot, and potato, season them, throw in half the peas and some chicken stock, and simmer for 40 minutes. Then add the rest of the peas and simmer for an additional 40 minutes. Done. That's it.


And yes, it's very good. I couldn't keep myself from sampling the broth as it finished cooking. But there is a catch. The soup is very good as soon as it's done. Serve it as soon as the final 40 minutes are up. This is not a soup to be left simmering on the stove all day, waiting patiently and deliciously for you to be ready for it, because it gets thick. It turns from soup to puree pretty damn quick. For those of you who like your soup that way, you'll love this recipe; for those of you who don't, either serve it right away, cut back on the cooking time (some of the peas will still have a bit of a bite to them, but that's okay), or use less than a full pound of peas. Just keep in mind that the pea is a thirsty bugger, and if you allow him to drink up all of your broth, he will.