Pea Soup today

Good Morning!

It is almost 35 F. today. Much improvement over yesterday. There is a little sun on the garden plot. If it continues, the snow will melt...

Family on the West Coast received a Christmas ham and now possess a lovely bone. What to do with it? How about some hearty soups?

HEARTY Soup Basics (dried peas, beans, or lentils + liquid + seasonings)

1# bag of dried peas, soaked overnight in a kettle of water
Drain into a strainer, rinse with running cold water, and return to kettle (which you also have rinsed).

Cover soaked peas with 3 inches of water, add 2 beef bouillon cubes (or vegetarian or other stock you have in the freezer or pantry shelf), 3 whole bay leaves, and 2 teaspoons salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer (you can just see the water moving) for about one hour until the peas are tender to taste.

Meanwhile, roughly chop or dice 2 large onions, place in a microwave proof bowl with a few drops of water or tablespoon of vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap or a glass lid, and microwave until soft (about 5 minutes average). Do not brown. Optional to garlic lovers: add a few peeled cloves of garlic to the onions before microwaving.

Add soft onion to the cooked peas. Taste for seasoning (salt and pepper), and simmer another 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

REMOVE BAY LEAVES or you will have annoying little pieces of bay leaf that will not disappear (please remember how many you used). Process the mixture: The easiest way is with a hand blender. It is done right in the cooking pot and saves both time and dish washing. If you don't have a hand blender (buy one!), transfer mix to a food processor or traditional blender to process in small batches. Return to stove for warm up.

Soup can be eaten as it is now. Please use warmed bowls! Serve with crusty bread.

Variations: Put a generous tablespoon of pesto in each bowl before filling, OR top with crumbled bacon, thinly sliced Louisiana style sausages or garlic sausages, additional fresh chopped chives, chili powders such as chipotle, and of course, sour cream to embellish your creation. Lightly dust with a pinch of a green herb (parsley, chive, herbes de Provence) at serving time.

Other dried vegetables make excellent soups. They are nutritious and economical. Stay tuned--we'll deal with the mighty bean tomorrow.

KGC