Saturday, November 22, 2014

Soup! Soup! Spanish Style Split Pea Soup! And Cookbook Countdown #70




Cookbook Countdown -- Potage de Guisantes Barcelona
Spanish-Style split pea soup




This will be Cookbook #70!
on my slow, very slow, countdown  of  my own
personal cookbook shelf.

I will be linking up to



and



(I know it's not Wednesday---but her linky is still open---and I love her blog.  so--sue me)
(don't really sue me please)

and



As well as Souper Sundays at


Because...  IT IS SOUP after-all!!






I love split pea soup.  
I especially love the smokey flavor from the ham or ham hocks it cooks with, but this soup from the Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread, has a pea soup made with no meat.
Perfect for vegetarians OR anyone who wants a good soup!

I loved the addition of caramelized onions and tomatoes.
I have to confess here, that I pureed them also, but I wasn't supposed to (note to self:  read directions carefully).
The taste was still great, but I am anxiously awaiting until enough time has passed where I can make it again and have little chunks of onions and tomatoes in each spoonful.
I also love the addition to spinach to any soup.
I took the photos the 2nd day and the soup did thicken quite a bit so I added a dash of cream, but if you used vegetable stock this would be completely vegetarian.

Take out the smokey ham flavor, but add the caramelized onions?
It's a trade off that works for us!

I have had this cookbook on my shelf for quite some time, but have not pulled it out in---well---quite some time.  
It's a great winter time cookbook to use.  
I've not seen one bad review-- just a lot of praise for good soups and good breads.





Spanish Style Split Pea Soup

Pam Cooking Spray
2 cups dried split peas  
2 quarts any well-flavored vegetable stock
1 large onion sliced
2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 box (10 oz ) frozen spinach, thawed
salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
3 onions, chopped
6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 T chopped fresh basil leaves or 2 t dried
2 T minced fresh parsley
freshly ground pepper to taste


1. spray a large soup pot with Pam and in it combine the stock, split peas, sliced onion, carrots, 2 cloves of garlic and the bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, 1 hour.  Add the spinach and season with salt (at least 1 tsp).  Continue to simmer another 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly and remove the bay leaves, then puree the soup in a food processor.

2. Meanwhile in a 10-inch skillet heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and saute until they start to soften.  
Turn down the heat to medium-low and continue to saute until the onions are wilted, another  6-8 minutes.  Turn down the heat further to very low and cook, stirring often, until the onions are caramelized, about 10 minutes more.  (watch so they don't burn)

3. Add the tomatoes to the onions, increase the heat to med-low and cook down until very thick, reducing the heat as the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and put in the three remaining 3 cloves of garlic thru a garlic press and add to the tomato mixture.  Stir in the fresh herbs and plenty of freshly ground pepper.

4. Stir in the tomato-onion mixture into the pea puree and heat through. Serve at once, garnished with additional parsley or let stand overnight and reheat the next day.







10 comments:

Karen said...

This sounds really good. I have some lentils in the pantry - think I'll make this with them!

Carole said...

We have been having lots of soup over winter but now we are heading towards summer soup will go on the back burner. Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

Unknown said...

I have loved split pea soup since I was a child. I've often used a vegetarian recipe that uses BBQ sauce to impart the smoky flavor without adding smoked meat.

Katherine P said...

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never had split pea soup! This looks tasty and since the temperatures are dropping I may have to add this one to the meal plan. Thanks for sharing!

Susan Lindquist said...

Oh, what a nice addition to my 'must-make' list of soups for 2015!

~~louise~~ said...

Now that's a warm and hearty soup I can warm up to Debbie! I don't have nearly enough Soup cookbooks. I really should check this one out.

I can't tell you how delighted I was when I saw your link up for Cookbook Wednesday! My eyes popped when I saw it was a soup book!!!

The addition of spinach in Split Pea Soup is quite unique and a wonderful idea. I'll be saving this recipe. It is indeed a great winter time cookbook to seek out.

Thank you so much for your kind words Debbie and for linking up to Cookbook Wednesday...

Beth F said...

I love, love, love Crescent Dragonwagon and I love this cookbook. It's one of my favorites, and I've had it for decades -- really. Don't hesitate to pick up any book by this author.

Deb in Hawaii said...

This looks like a fabulous version of split pea soup--I love the caramelized onions and tomatoes and the addition of the spinach too. Yum! Thanks for sharing with Souper Sundays. ;-)

kitchen flavours said...

Such a delicious bowl of soup! I have never had spilt pea soup before. With caramelized onions sounds so good! Thanks for linking with CYB!

Shaheen said...

I've come on over from the linky, intrigued by your cookbooks that will probably never appear in the U.K, thank you for sharing.

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