split-pea soup with herbes de provence

With split-peas in the pantry, a healthy satisfying meal is not far behind and of all the legumes, these cook up pretty darn quick, no soaking required. Think of this as a starting point, a basic recipe you can springboard from – add any chopped up protein: grilled pork, pulled pork loin, braised turkey legs, meatballs or sausages, even a pile of crumbled bacon – seriously delicious. Or up the veggie factor with anything you have on hand – diced, seared and simply stirred in before serving. Gotta love a classic that can morph into more variations than even Darwin could dream up – and all you gotta do is dig around your kitchen! To get you going, I’ve rounded up a few aberrations below – no soup Nazi here, ’cause you can make it yourself – NEXT!

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1. Gather …

2. … and prep what you’ve gathered.

3. Get them in a medium hot soup pot with a little olive oil.

4. Rinse the split-peas.

5. Use whatever broth you have – I use a tablespoon of bouillon with water.

6. Flavours of France are next.

7. Add them to the sautéed vegetables.

8. Bouillon is next.

9. Add the water and give it a good stir.

10. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30-45 minutes.

11. Ta da … 45 minutes later.

12. Leave it chunky.

13. Or give it a couple of turns with an immersion blender.

14. Ladle it out and finish with a swirl of olive oil.

split-pea soup with herbes de provence

1. Heat up a soup pot over medium-high heat. Peel, cut into small dice and sauté the following in a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes:

2-3 carrots
2-3 ribs of celery
1-2 onions
a couple of glugs of olive oil

2. Add the following to the sautéed vegetables, cover & simmer for 30-45 minutes until the peas are tender:

1 tbsp. herbes de provence
1 bay leaf
1.5 – 2 cups split peas, rinsed
4-5 cups stock

3. Give it a good stir, leave as is or partially purée it with an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, simply put a couple of cups of soup in a blender, whiz and stir it back in. Finish with a taste and season if necessary. 4. Ladle into bowls and pass the olive oil.

get creative

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switch up the cooked meat & stir in at the end of cooking – pan-fried meatballs, diced pork or chicken, sliced sausages
switch up the liquid – vegetable, chicken or beef stock, tomato juice, stir in a can of diced or crushed tomatoes
switch up the herbs – oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, sage
add a teaspoon or two of a spice or herb blend to create a signature soup: