One More Soup!

It rained again today and it was cold.  I keep hoping for salad weather but my girls asked for soup one more time before the weather warms up.  Now I know that split pea is not every one's favorite, but my family happens to love it so when Rachel asked, I made a batch. 

This is my variation of Ina Garten's Split Pea Soup (wow, I just noticed...that's a lot of butter; it was really cold and hard to cut.  We don't usually use such a big pat on our bread)...

This soup's on my dinner, lunch, leftover and freezer menu.
  Ina's recipe makes a large amount, so don't double the batch unless you are cooking for a football team.  Her recipes seem larger than average to me. I always have enough for leftovers and then some to throw in freezer bags as soon as it cools so that I have a go-to meal on a busy, cold day (hopefully next September, not next week).  I figure as soon as I make a REALLY big batch of soup it will warm up.  Murphy's Law, you know?

Ina's recipe is meatless.  I like the added flavor of meat so I usually add some leftover ham or a thick slice of ham from the deli when I am simmering the soup. 

Sometimes (like today) I add some chopped bacon.  I don't like the rubbery texture of bacon bits after they have simmered in the soup, so I slowly render the bacon fat and remove the crisp bacon pieces with a slotted spoon.  I set them aside and use them as a garnish on top of the soup for those who like bacon. 

Then I slowly cook the onions in the bacon fat with a little added vegetable oil until they are translucent, adding the garlic after the onions are almost done so that the garlic doesn't brown or burn and turn bitter.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer. 

Stir the bottom of the pot often so that the soup on the bottom of the pan doesn't scald.  This soup thickens as the peas cook down so you need to be diligent in stirring.  Add more liquid as needed to get the soup to your desired consistency before serving.

I often top this soup with some grated cheddar cheese or a Parmesan crouton slice.  It's hearty and believe me it will stick to your ribs.  Just the right meal for our cold spring weather.

You can find the recipe here.  This version that is posted on the Food Network site is only half of the recipe of her cookbook version.