Split Pea Soup
We’ve arrived at this split pea soup for episode 2 on my Soup There It Is series on TikTok, but let me fill you in on how we got here.
Understanding my breakfast food despise
I grew up hating, and I mean HATING, breakfast food. Eggs? No thanks. Cereal? Too sweet. Oatmeal? Garbage. So, what did 4th grade Cath eat for breakfast? Steak or soup. Beef Barley Progresso soup was literally my breakfast multiple times per week when I was 10. Let that sink in.
If I was feeling wild I’d go for a chicken noodle, vegetable, or a top 3 contender, split pea soup. I can vividly remember pouring that soup into the pot, cranking up the gas stove, and extracting every perfectly square potato chunk in the soup. Ham stayed in, but the potatoes had to go. Once those potatoes were out, we were in business. And that was breakfast.
Continuing the soup tradition, minus the BS
My soup addiction has followed me into adulthood, but keeping with my theme of Breaking Up with BS* in 2022, I no longer allow brands such as Progresso to hang out on my pantry shelves. A household name that used to rock my mornings before Catholic school just gone. It was heartbreaking, as any breakup tends to be, but it was necessary.
The ingredients I now avoid that were in the soups I used to eat for breakfast include processed sugars, modified food starch, seed oils, maltodextrin, and more. There are certainly other brands out there not using these BS ingredients, but I encourage you to try just making a soup on your own. There is power in having complete control over what goes in and what stays out.
This split pea soup is a nostalgic flavor puréed to perfection. Yes, it has cream. Yes, it has butter. No, we don’t fear those things in Cath’s Kitchen. Yes, you will love every spoonful of it.
As always, may the inspiration found here find light in your kitchen.
*This refers to another TikTok series I did breaking up with unnecessary ingredients in our food and coming up with an alternative
XO//CATH
P.s. For those worried, I am a HUGE breakfast girlie now. Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs fuel my mornings. 'Twas a good run with beef barley.
The recipe
4 oz diced pancetta
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 (16oz) packs frozen peas
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sage
s&p
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/3 cup light cream
How to make it happen:
In a large pot on medium-high heat, brown pancetta for about 8-10 mins. Once done, spoon it out and set aside.
Chop garlic, onion, and celery. Add olive oil to the large pot and add all vegetables. Let brown for about 10 mins, stirring as needed. Then, add your remaining ingredients and let simmer for about 10 mins.
Remove soup from heat and let cool. Use an immersion blender* to purée the soup until completely smooth.
Put soup back on stove and warm using low heat. Serve with a thin circle of oil (Round Pond is one of my favorites) and pancetta for garnish. Enjoy!
*If you don't own an immersion blender, a regular blender will do just fine.