Grandma's Split Pea Soup
My maternal Southern grandmother's Split Pea Soup is a very tasty, stick to your ribs, hearty soup. I make it with turkey kielbasa (Polish sausage), top with some crumbled feta or blue cheese, and serve with a crusty bread.
My maternal Southern grandmother's Split Pea Soup is a very tasty, stick to your ribs, hearty soup. I make it with turkey kielbasa (Polish sausage), top with some crumbled feta or blue cheese, and serve with a crusty bread.
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 cups dried split peas
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 large vidalia onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery strings removed and chopped fine
- 2 carrots finely diced
- 2 smoked turkey wings or 1 smoked turkey leg
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage julienned
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves coarsely chopped for garnish
- Carbohydrate 69.4882491814215 g
- Cholesterol 14.400000012173 mg
- Fat 8.45275805735933 g
- Fiber 20.7185499815226 g
- Protein 31.3637875103008 g
- Saturated Fat 1.84408522332136 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (651g)
- Sodium 1503.29166600674 mg
- Sugar 48.7696991998989 g
- Trans Fat 0.75595238910811 g
- Calories 474 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash the peas to remove dust. Spread on a towel and remove any debris.
- Heat a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil and heat, add onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add smoked turkey, peas, salt and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, and cook, partially covered, until peas are tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove turkey from pot and remove meat from the bones. Finely shred meat and put back into the pot. Stir in sage, lemon zest and cayenne and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Ladle pea puree into serving bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Thick, pale green puree coats the back of a spoon with a glossy sheen, carrying deep, woody aromas of smoked poultry and fresh sage. Too many cooks ruin split pea preparations by dumping hard, unwashed legumes straight into cold liquid without checking for grit, which ruins the velvety texture. Thorough sorting on a clean kitchen towel eliminates unwanted debris that escapes casual visual checks.
Controlling the Simmer
Vigorous boiling causes starches to glue themselves to the bottom of heavy-bottomed pots, creating an acrid burnt flavor that ruins the entire batch. Maintaining a gentle simmer for 45 to 60 minutes keeps the starches suspended evenly while the smoked turkey infuses the stock with collagen and salt.Finishing and Accompaniments
Stirring in the fresh lemon zest and cayenne during the final five minutes preserves bright volatile oils that vanish during prolonged cooking. Crusty bread provides structural contrast to the dense puree, while crumbly cheeses like feta add a sharp, salty counterweight to the earthy legumes.
