Split Pea Soup and Food Science Sunday

Yesterday I made split pea soup.  It was such a grey, miserable day in Seattle we also had soup for lunch.  It was soup day.
My mom gave me this recipe, and it is delicious.  Here it is:

Split Pea Soup

8 cups water

3 14 oz. cans reduced sodium chicken broth

1 lb. cooked boneless ham chopped or ham bone with meat

4 ½ cups dry split peas, rinsed and drained

3 bay leaves

¼ tsp. Dried marjoram, crushed

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1 ½ cups chopped carrots (3 medium)

1 ½ cups chopped celery (3 medium)

1 ½ cups chopped onion (2 medium)

salt and pepper to taste

In a 7 – 8 quart Dutch oven combine water, broth, ham, split peas, bay leaves, marjoram and peppr. Bring mixture to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer covered 1 hour. Stirring occasionally. Uncover, stir in carrots, celery and onions. Bring to boiling. Reducee heat. Simmer, covered  for 20 – 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves, discard. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or cool 30 minutes.

To freeze divide cooled soup among three 2 quart freezer containers. Cover, label and freeze up to 3 months.

To reheat frozen soup, dip the bottom of the container in hot water for 5 minutes. Transfer frozen soup to a large saucepan. Cook, covered, over medium low heat about 30 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Makes 12 servings.


Here is what I changed:  I didn't have celery (I am not in love with celery anyway), so I added some celery salt, some celery leaves and diced up 2 potatoes to make up some of the bulk (plus I love potatoes).  I boiled the split peas with the ham bone too long and my split peas were nearing oblivion, and I like a little texture to my split pea soup, so I turned off the heat and removed the pan from the unit.  I cooked my diced veggies in a different pan by themselves.  I used a large stainless steel shallow pot with lid, I sauted the onions first, added the carrots and potatoes, a little water and put the lid on to let them soften up.  This will cook up your veggies nice a fast- the wider the pan, the better. Watch for sticking and scorching.  Within 10 minutes or so I had nice and soft veggies to add to my soup.  The soup didn't have to cook anymore and my split peas still had a little lumpiness left, the way I like them.   Here is another part of this tip- I have realized that my heavy bottomed stainless steel pots and pan keep my food really hot for a really long time.  Although this is nice for some recipes, other foods it can ruin.  I have learned the hard way I have to remove pastas and light sauces immediately from the pans or they will continue to cook, making them overdone and evaporating all the moisture.  So watch that on your pans.

Stay tuned for more about breakfasts, reader suggestions and more tips to come.  Now that every last apple is canned, I feel like a woman with a burden lifted off my shoulders!
~Here's to Healthy Eating