the thin chef

I decided to honor the first day of fall with some soup. Yes, it’s still 80-something degrees outside, and no, the leaves aren’t changing just yet…but the advent of a new season calls for a new kitchen repertoire. Split pea soup was on my mind since I realized we had a mason jar full of them that hadn’t been touched since before summertime.

This recipe is exceedingly simple…but that’s kind of what I think comfort food like split pea soup should be. Uncomplicated, straightforward flavors and textures that soothe and satisfy. And just a taste of the rich, creamy soup made it seem like fall really is just around the corner…

Creamy Split Pea Soup
serves 4

4 slices center-cut bacon cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, a pinch of each
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups split peas, rinsed and picked over
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Heat a stockpot over medium-high heat; add bacon and oil. Cook until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon, and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Add the onion to the remaining bacon drippings and oil. Cook until onion is tender and just starting to brown. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add herb sprigs, wine, and stock; use your spoon to scrape any bits at the bottom of the pot.

Add the split peas. Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, and simmer soup for 30 minutes, or until peas are tender. Remove the herb sprig and discard them. With an immersion blender, whiz the soup until it’s mostly pureed but still slightly chunky. Alternatively, add about 3/4 of the soup (in batches) to a blender, and blend until smooth; add back to remaining soup in pot, and stir to combine. Stir in the thyme and lemon juice.

Ladle soup into bowls, and top with reserved bacon. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and serve.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.