BEV’S – SPLIT PEA SOUP
This is an old recipe from Quebec (the French part of Canada) and if you have beautiful ham (which you (McIvor Farm) do!) it’s astonishingly simple. It just wouldn’t work with supermarket ham.
French Canadian Split Pea Soup with Herb Salt
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, string peeled off, diced
ham bone
6-8 cups cold water
2 cups yellow split peas (or dark green lentils), rinsed
black pepper, freshly ground to taste
For the herb salt:
4 tablespoons fresh parsley or mint (or a combination of the two)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Chop all the vegetables and put them in a soup pot with the ham bone. (It’s okay if the bone sticks out, put the meatiest-looking end into the soup.)
Tip in the rinsed split peas or lentils. Pour over the water.
Place the pot on medium heat and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and simmer for at least 1 hour, or up to 2.5 hours. During this time you don’t need to do anything, but do add 2-3 cups more water if it is getting low.
Towards the end of the coking time, get a small pot or frying pan, and heat the olive oil.
When the oil is hot, drop in whole fresh leaves of mint and parsley. They will crinkle and go brownish. Tip them out onto a plate.
Scatter ½ teaspoon good sea salt over the herbs and crumble them with a fork. Add to the soup. Taste and add black pepper to your liking.
Serve soup hot, with toast for a full dinner.
Sounds delicious – Thanks Bev 🙂
