We lived in Chicago for 15 years before eventually moving to Maryland for 25 and subsequently to our home here in San Luis Obispo, CA where we are in our 3rd year.
One of our first apartments in Chicago was what the locals called a 2 flat building.
This was a large 2 story home with an apartment on the 2nd floor and one on the first.
In our particular case the owners, a very nice older couple with Swedish ancestry, lived on the first floor.
It is while we were living there that I was introduced to yellow split peas by Mrs. Okerstrom. She made yellow split pea soup which is a traditional food in Sweden, and shared it with us.
I once had her recipe which has somehow disappeared over the years, but the other day when there was a chill in the air I decided it was time for soup.
On one of my last shopping trips I purchased a bag of yellow split peas to have in my pantry for just such days. It’s not the kind of thing I would normally have on hand.
After scanning the internet I found numerous renditions of yellow split pea soup and came up with my own variation.
A warm bowl of this with a piece of crusty bread is very comforting and for me brought back happy memories from our past.
Here’s the recipe…
Yellow Split Pea Soup ( 8-10 servings)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 and ½ cups diced uncooked bacon, plus extra cooked bacon as garnish
1 and ½ cups carrots, diced small
1 and ½ cups onion, diced small
1 and ½ cups celery, diced small
1 cup diced potatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon Kosher salt (you can begin with less and add more later)
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
1 cup cubed potatoes
2 and ¼ cups dried yellow split peas, rinsed and drained
6 cups organic chicken stock (low sodium if you prefer)
4 cups water
splash of white wine vinegar, optional
extra salt and pepper to taste when finished
minced chives and crumbled cooked bacon to garnish
Procedure
Saute the bacon, onions, carrots and celery in oil, stirring frequently until onions are wilted, veggies are softened, and bacon is somewhat browned, about 7 minutes.
Add garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, cubed potatoes, and split peas.
Add the rosemary and cook about 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a very low boil. Put the lid on the pot, leaving it askew, and cook the soup, stirring every once in a while, until the split peas and potatoes are very soft, about 45 minutes or more.
With a stick blender puree the soup to your preferred consistency. I prefer it fairly smooth, but with some chunky texture to it. If you use a traditional blender puree it in batches.
Add additional stock or water if it is too thick for your taste.
Add a splash of white wine vinegar to brighten the flavor. (optional)
Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper if needed.
When ready to serve garnish with crumbled cooked crisp bacon and minced chives or the minced green part of scallions.
Refrigerate covered for 3 – 4 days, after which you can freeze it if wrapped well.
This soup could be adapted for vegetarians easily by subbing vegetable stock for the chicken stock, and eliminating the bacon in the recipe.