Moosewood Restaurant shares a Fat Free Vegetarian Recipe – Everyday Split Pea Soup

 

This is the vegetarian split pea soup for those of us who remember with longing those bowls of thick, ham bone-flavored soup that our grandmothers used to make. Here, mushrooms add texture and the miso gives a rich flavor, yet the soup’s virtually fat-free! We’ve made this soup with several types of dried mushrooms. Chanterelles have a particularly nice flavor, texture, and color with split peas. Dried portabellas also have a good flavor and are usually reasonably priced. We’ve even made split pea soup with shiitake. A mix is nice, too. Split pea soup tastes great left over, but reheat it gently—miso should never be heated to boiling.

Thanks Laura @ Moosewood Restaurant

Everyday Split Pea Soup

Serves 13 Cups
Prep time 25 minutes
Cook time 1 hour
Total time 1 hour, 25 minutes
Meal type Carrots, Celery, Mushrooms, Onions, Potato, Split Peas
Season Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter

Ingredients

  • 1/2 ounce dried mushrooms, softened in 1 cup boiling water*
  • 2 cups dried split peas (about 1 pound)
  • 8 cups water
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced carrots
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped celery (include some leafy tops)
  • 2 cups diced potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Note

*You can find 1/2-ounce bags of dried mushrooms in the produce sections of many supermarkets.

To soften, place the dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl, cover with the boiling water, and set aside for about 20 minutes.

Directions

1 In a large covered soup pot on high heat, combine the split peas, water, bay leaves, marjoram, onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes.

2 When the soup begins to boil, stir well, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and continue to cook.

3 Meanwhile, remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid and discard any hard stems.
4 Slice or chop the softened mushrooms and add them to the soup.

5 Strain the soaking liquid to remove any sediment or dirt and add the clear liquid to the soup pot.

6 After the soup has simmered for about 30 minutes, stir it well.
7 Maintain on low heat with occasional stirring or place the pot on a heat diffuser to prevent sticking and cook for another 20 minutes, until the split peas are very soft and the soup becomes “creamy” when stirred.

8 Discard the bay leaves.

9 Stir in 1/4 cup of the miso, the salt, and pepper.

10 Add more miso to taste and serve.


 

Moosewood Restaurant Interior

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