I have to thank my sisters Shannon and Jamie for this discovery. We write a communal blog and the day they ate this soup together was the same day I went out and bought for the very first time ever…
Yup, split green peas! I bought them on the day they made that soup. I love psychic foodie stories. I honestly could not believe the coincidence although my family is kind of spooky this way, which I love.
The Recipe
I divided the recipe in half but will write it in full for you. I did make quite a few changes from the original recipe to give it my own foodie touch.
Saute 2 medium chopped onions in a Dutch oven in some oil for about five minutes. I also seasoned them with salt and pepper.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, 3 diced carrots, 3 chopped celery ribs and I added 1 coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato. I seasoned with salt and pepper.
Add eight cups of water.
Stir in 1 large bay leaf, 1/2 tsp celery seed (I only had celery salt so I only added a pinch), 1 tsp dried basil and 1 tsp dried thyme. If you want, also add 1-2 tsp of liquid smoke. Reg hates liquid smoke so I omitted it.
Add 2 cups of dried split peas (carefully checked and rinsed).
Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until peas are soft and disintegrate when stirred.
That actually did happen but you know what? When I tasted it… OMG, no flavour! I mean… zilch. Boring, dull, I could never eat this in a million years so I went into problem solving mode.
Knorr Homestyle Stock has saved my foodie butt I don’t know how many times. When a flavour disaster is upon me, adding concentrated stock adds flavour and body to a boring drab soup.
I added one little pack and boy, did it ever make a world of difference! Thank goodness we aren’t vegans, I would never survive. Believe me, I’ve already tried.
Of course now when I look at the Jamie’s photo for the post that day I see that she brought out the chicken stock, LOL. She was ahead of me!
This soup is brilliant. Absolutely wonderful. I am so glad I used the sweet potatoes because they took off that not-so-pleasant green edge associated with this soup that I loathe and also addied a beautiful sweetness to it. I also added a touch of Sriracha hot sauce, just a touch, to make it even more tummy-warming.
I do not know what the weather is like where you are but it is colder and snowier than ever on the east coast right now. I might make this soup again this weekend, especially Reg told me that I finally did it. I made a split pea soup that was even better than Habitant!
Words like that keep this foodie going…
I must confess that I despise pea soup. Habitant or home made. Nothing personal, it’s just the ugly truth! Oh, and while I’m getting my hate on, I despite liquid smoke too.
I’m so glad you foodied this up in a way that made it super-enjoyable for you. What a healthy, warming soup!
I should totally have mentioned that I went with stock too! I just had a feeling that I’d need that oomph. One of my new tricks too (from Menu Mailer, I think) is I always grate carrots for soup. That way they don’t take so long to cook through!
I was so excited when Shannon found the liquid smoke but, you know, I’ll probably omit it in the future too. I found that it removed all the complexity of flavours, colouring everything with the same brush.
I love the coincidence of how this soup came together! A family foodie experience 🙂
I love this soup but make it with yellow split peas and not green.
After your last post, I confess I went and got the Habitant Pea Soup, just had to have some. It was good but homemade is so much better. Congrats on getting over your fears and tackling the GREEN ones!
My hubby absolutely hates any artificial smokey flavours as well, especially smoky BBQ sauces. But adding bacon would definitely be OK.
I love those Knorr Homestyle Stocks, they’ve saved my foodie butt too a few times, and especially nice when cooking rice. Although I do find them a bit pricey, so I load up when they’re on sale or I have coupons.
Debra, I feel the same way which is why I am so glad I finally found a soup Reg loves and I don’t mind eating.
Looks like we all agree about liquid smoke! It’s great for vegetarians who want that smokey edge to their food but it’s just too strong.
I was so relieved to later see the stock in your photo Jamie, LOL. I often put carrots and celery through the food processor as well for the same reason. It really was amazing family foodie synchronicity, wasn’t it?
Amelia, I would use those too but Reg seems to like the green more.
Oh that’s just too funny Ava! 🙂 Hope you enjoyed the Habitant. It’s true. Knorr is expensive which is why I only use it in emergencies. Just in case but not on a regular basis!
Thanks for the recipe!
My husband’s favourite soup is split pea…can’t wait to try this one!