BITTER COLD GOT MARION TO MAKE HER FRIEND VALERIE’S SOUP the first time seven years ago. Now with pretty much all of the U.S. gripped by brutal winter weather—including unprecedented snow across the South—it seemed like a good time to make this warming, hearty split pea soup again.
In addition to wanting something in the warm-you-through-and-through category, one cooking goal when it gets this cold (or snowy or icy or…) is to not have go out to the store. Besides the dried split peas, this recipe calls for mostly pantry/fridge staples: potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips, garlic, chicken broth and cumin. It also calls for bacon, which we didn’t have on hand this time. So some leftover cooked lamb chops stood in, less than half a pound. We threw the cooked chops, bones and all into the soup as it was cooking, then pulled them out and cut up the meat, adding it back to the pot after puréeing half of it. You could also use a bit of sausage or leftover chicken—or go vegetarian, substituting water for the broth and using a little soy sauce to add umami.
Back to the dried split peas. We do keep those in our pantry. One big advantage of them is that you don’t have to pre-soak them. They cook up nice and tender in about 45 minutes.
Puréeing only half the soup is key here. The puréed portion adds a velvety, comforting thickness to the soup and the unground portion delivers satisfying chunks of vegetables and meaty little bites. All of which makes Valerie’s Split Pea Soup perfect for this ridiculous winter weather—or even regular winter weather. You’ll find the original recipe here.