Helen Gougeons Pea Soup Recipes

SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, cover peas with 2 quarts cold water and soak overnight. If you need a faster method, simmer the peas gently for 2 minutes, and then soak for l hour.
• Once peas are soaked, add ham bone, onion, salt, pepper and marjoram. Cover, bring to boil and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Remove bone; cut off meat, dice and return meat to soup. Add celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook slowly, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

GRANDMA'S PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Cover peas with water and soak overnight. Drain, rinse and place in a Dutch oven. , Add ham bone, water and remaining soup ingredients except sausage and dumplings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 to 2-1/2 hours. , Remove ham bone and skim fat. Remove meat from bone; dice. Add ham and, if desired, sausage to pan. , For dumplings, place flour in a small bowl. Make a depression in the center of the flour; add egg and water and stir until smooth. , Place a colander with 3/16-in.-diameter holes over simmering soup; transfer dough to the colander and press through with a wooden spoon. Cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Freeze Option: Prepare soup without dumplings and freeze in serving-size portions to enjoy for months to come.

HEARTY SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH BACON

Steps:

• Dice bacon into 1/4-inch cubes. Place in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium-low heat. Cook until fat is rendered and translucent. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until onion and garlic are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add split peas, stir to coat with fat, and add bay leaves and 2 quarts stock. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so soup simmers. Skim foam that rises to the surface for about 10 minutes, until no more appears. Add thyme leaves. Simmer uncovered about 1 hour or longer, until peas are soft and starting to fall apart. Add more stock, as needed.
• Remove soup from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Purée soup in a food processor in several batches, short of perfect smoothness; you should be able to spoon up some texture. Reheat soup, skimming off any foam. Stir from the bottom to mix well, then ladle into bowls and serve.

SIMPLE HEALTHY GREEN PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until golden and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir garlic into onions and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir peas and dill into onion mixture and pour in enough chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until hot, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir milk into soup.
• Puree soup with an immersion blender or pour pea soup into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

THREE-INGREDIENT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce to simmer and add the frozen peas. Cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer the peas and cooking water to a blender and puree until smooth, 2 minutes.
• With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify.
• Mix in the salt; taste and season with more salt if desired.
• Transfer the soup to bowls. Garnish with microgreens if using.

QUEBEC-STYLE YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Trim off and discard skin from ham hocks.
• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook, stirring regularly, until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in dried split peas, bay leaf ,savory and thyme. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
• Stir in chicken broth and water. Add the ham hock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas are very soft and soup is thickened, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. *NOTE: You may need to add additional water or stock if soup gets too thick.
• PICK OUT AND DISCARD BAY LEAF and remove the ham hock to a plate. *Note: I prefer a thicker soup, so I blend just a bit of the soup with an immersion blender or blender. Just do a quick blend (or blend just a cup of the soup. You don't want a completely pureed soup. You want it to retain most of it's texture, but the bit of pureed soup will incorporate with the broth for a thicker soup.)
• Let ham hock cool slightly, then remove any meat on the hock and add it back to soup. Discard the fat and bone from the hock.
• Stir to combine meat with soup. Taste and generously season with salt and pepper, to taste.

PEA, LEMON, AND EGG-DROP SOUP

Steps:

• Shell peas (you should have 1 1/2 cups), reserving pods. Combine pods and stock in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Strain out pods, reserving stock.
• Return 4 cups stock to pot, and bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt and the peas. Reduce heat, and vigorously simmer until peas are tender and bright green, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add eggs in a slow, steady stream, swirling liquid gently with a fork to create strands. Stir in lemon zest and juice to taste, then pea tendrils. Cook just until tendrils are wilted, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.