Split Pea Soup, a French Canadian Classic
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| Split yellow peas |
When I posted this recipe in 2006, it caused a fair amount of discussion (see below). Is real French Canadian pea soup made with yellow or green peas? There is no difference in the taste, and in my opinion, really no difference in which color split pea you choose for your soup. Read more about split peas here.
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| Split green peas |
The authors use split green peas for their "Canadian French Pea Soup" recipe and white split peas - does that mean yellow? - in a Quebec version. It's obviously a matter of personal preference. Bottom line is: It really doesn't matter. I like green better, but I tried the recipe below with yellow peas and it works jsut fine.
Easy Split Pea Soup
- 10 cups water
- 24 ounces dried split peas
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, finely chopped
- 1 ham bone, with some meat still on it
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups chopped ham
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- salt and black pepper, to taste
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| Made with yellow peas |
Simmer 3-4 hours on very low heat until the peas have completely disintegrated and the soup is smooth; you may want to scoop out some of the peas and place them in a blender for extra smoothness. Remove the bay leaves. Add the milk and season.
Allow the flavors to marry overnight before serving.
My mother served pea soup for lunch with a sandwich, probably ham spread. In our high school hot lunch program, pea soup was always served with peanut-butter sandwiches on white bread, but I prefer it with egg salad on whole grain. Johnny-cake, or cornbread is a more traditional pairing.
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Comments
I usually make a batch every week or so and then freeze it in single-size servings. At any one time, I may have 3-4 different kinds of soup in the freezer.
The first photo is a beauty.
And, Mimi, that top photo is stunning! You did good on that one girl.
Digital photography is wonderful.
So many blogs, so little time. Sigh.
Nice blog. As a Canadian, I want to point out that the French Canadian split pea soup is made with yellow peas! The split green pea soup is traditional in the Netherlands and everywhere else. But in Quebec --- it is the yellow peas that rule for this soup.
Anna
ps...how do you get the french mark on your word Pepere? I KNOW how my grandparents taught me to write the word, but my computer deficit brain doesn't know how to do it on the computer!!
I love soup on a cold day. I even love the idea of soup on a cold day.
I have made split pea soup with a combination of lentils and green and yellow peas, just to use up what I have on hand. Not bad at all!
The one thing about soup is that you can usually tweak it until you get the flavor you want. That's true for stews, too, except for the time I put in baking soda instead of corn starch.
Long story, best left for another time.
take care and keep cooking- it keeps me happy in this horrible world of dorm food.
Jack Kerouac called his mother "Memére," and I have seen the term used in online family histories and in other blogs, like Farm Girl Cyn.
The thought has crossed my mind that maybe this is a custom that survives in French Canadian families in the U.S., but not in Canada. Can anyone out there enlighten me?
Sara Lou of One Whole Clove, which is my favourite Québec food blog, posted a pea soup recipe using green peas earlier this year, though she mentioned it was a break from tradition.
I prefer to use both green and yellow peas in my soup, for no reason except that I like to do it. I'm not a purist.
My soup certainly isn't genuine French Canadian; it's just darned easy. You throw everything in the pot and then do something else for 3-4 hours.
We've always used green, too, or yellow if they are around.
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