Bonnie & Clyde? (Yes, Split Pea Soup)

There are things you inherit from your parents:  eye color, baldness pattern (!!!!!), maybe even an heirloom or two.  Then there are certain preferences... tastes... likes and dislikes.  I have inherited from my remarkable parents many of the above, and more.  And one of the things I'm most grateful to have inherited is...

Their love of split pea soup...

When I was growing up, my father's job led us to spend a great deal of time in Canada, or on the border.  And on all return trips to the States, my deeply law-abiding parents became outlaws!  Smugglers!

Parceled out amongst our various pieces of luggage were... Not bottles of bootleg whisky, but cans of HABITANT SPLIT PEA SOUP.  Now, whether we needed to smuggle them, or why my mother, a wonderful cook, didn't just make this (the EASIEST of soups), I will never know.  But those yellow cans remain almost Madeleine-like for me.

The car trips were fun... after I outgrew the car-sick thing... and, though they kept this illicit pleasure mostly for themselves, I was occasionally allowed a spoonful of this thick, oddly colored... well... sludge. But oh how I loved it.

And when I went away to university (in Canada, of course), the first thing I made in my rooming house was split pea soup.  I know it's not new, or fashionable, but it is the very definition of comfort.  So even if you THINK you remember not liking it... give it a try some frigid afternoon.  It may not conjure up Proustian memories for you, and it will never win any beauty contests...

But it's really good soup.

And it reminds me of smuggling with the amazing Maureen and Joe.

 

SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 1-lb. Bag green (or yellow) split peas

1, 2 or 3 Chopped carrots

1 Chopped onion

1 or 2 Smoked pork hocks

1)  Rinse and drain the peas.  Place all ingredients in a large pan and add water, enough to cover by about 1½ inches.  (You may need to add more water later.)

3)  Simmer for about 40 minutes, until the peas are very soft and a spoon can mash a piece of carrot against the side of the pan.  Remove the pork hocks. 

Now, if you have an immersion blender, that's the easiest way to purée the soup.  Or carefully use a regular blender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Don't skimp!  This soup loves salt and pepper!

And here's my heretical next step:  I consider this a concentrate...

... so I take out  about three-quarters of a portion and thin it with milk.  Yep.  Milk.  The rest freezes perfectly forever.  Just thaw and thin when you need comfort. Top with homemade croutons.

 

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