Split Pea Soup (Soupe aux Pois Cassés)

I have a confession to make.  I had never tasted split pea soup before I made it… last night! Being from New Mexico, I grew up on black beans, rice, and chili – not split peas.  But, I was curious and it seemed like a pretty simple soup to make (and I’ve been into simple recipes lately), so I bought myself a yellow onion and some dried split peas, and made a soup.  It doesn’t get any more simple than that. But, a surprising thing happened when I tasted the soup.  I was greeted with a warm, hardy, and flavorful soup that tasted much more complicated than it’s handful of ingredients.

I thought I might be mistaken, however, since I had never had split pea soup before and had nothing to compare it with.  I was sure it was a good soup (and very healthy), but I wasn’t sure if it tasted the way a split pea soup should taste.  So I took it to work today and had my colleagues taste it at lunch time.  As it turns out, everyone wanted the recipe so I figured it was good enough to publish.

Split Pea Soup (Soupe aux Pois Cassés)

In a large soup pan, saute the chopped onion with the olive oil until the onion has started to become translucent.  Add the split green peas and the water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the split peas have become soft and mushy.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Blend the soup until you have a nice puree.  Return to heat and season with the spices, salt, and pepper.  Serve warm with a dash of paprika and a few drops of olive oil.