The Lazy Gourmet: Sloppy Split Pea Soup
While we are in our temporary housing in Copenhagen, we don’t have any of our spices, cookbooks, or kitchen gadgets. Coming up with dinner each night is a bit of a challenge. (I can’t even use my faithful standby, epicurious.com because our internet access is so shoddy!)
Last night, I created this dish, and it turned out so yummy I thought I’d share it. Using the prosciutto eliminates the need for multiple spices.(Ours was leftover from making pizza.) It only took twenty minutes to get the thing simmering and it’s kind about how much of this or that you might have on hand. A satisfying winter meal.
Sloppy Split Pea Soup
4-6 thin slices of prosciutto
olive oil
4 med shallots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 med carrots, diced
1 thin skinned potato, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cups dried yellow split peas, sorted
8 cups stock plus enough water to bring the soup to desired consistency
balsamic vinegar
romano or parmesan cheese
Pour a pass of olive oil into a medium-ish sauce pan over med-high heat. Tear up the prosciutto and lightly sauté so that it wilts slightly and releases some flavor into the olive oil. Add about 50 ml of water (be careful – it will splatter) and stir occasionally to steam out more flavor from the meat. Add shallots, celery, carrots, potato and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add split peas and water. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 30-40 minutes. (Longer if you like your split peas cooked down more.) About 10 minutes before serving, add several nice sloppy pours of balsamic vinegar or other red wine vinegar to the pot and adjust salt/pepper. Nice with some shaved romano or similar. Yum!
6 comments
Sounds delicious, easy and fast, Rachelle, 3 criteria I look for when choosing and after-work evening meal. (As a vegetarian, though, I would substitute seasonings for the prosciutto.)
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I’m definitely going to have to try this.
Every heard of the cookbook ‘More with Less’? It’s so easy to read and all the ingredients are cheap and in your pantry. And it uses ingredients that are good for you (and the planet). The author also shares little tidbits of wisdom about life, hospitality, and respecting the world’s resources.
yum!
for me it’s the foods you can’t get and a strange kitchen that really bring the knowledge that I’m far-from-home.
being let loose from my cookbooks, and food blogs, and favourite knives.
i find i cook simple meals, and usually begin by shopping every day (or almost).
good luck on your brand new adventure!
Yum. Sounds just right for nights like these. Any suggestions for a prosciutto substitute?
ohh this sounds good.. i should try this soon..
btw i joined small is beautiful a few weeks back.. i really find your links as well as your blog very informative.. thanks for putting up a great site!
(btw my link is not yet shown there.. maybe you can pass by my blog sometime..)
Hello fellow epicurians!
If you are a vegetarian try bay leaf instead of proscuitto.
If you don’t mind meat, but can’t find imported things, try regular bacon or some diced ham.
Last night we made potato soup with homemade veggi stock. Yum!
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