Split Pea Soup

My Split Pea Soup recipe.

Black Bean Soup

Staple soup common in Central America and Mexico. Especially good with fresh cilantro. Can also use or mix with red or pinto beans. Serve with rice and beans. Use a spice grinder (spare coffee grinder) to grind whole spices and chili peppers. And use a stick blender to blend soup in the pan.

Ingredients
BASE
1/2 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery
1/2 red pepper, chopped (or paprika)
SPICE
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 tsp oragano
1 bay leaf
1 New Mexico dried chili pepper, ground
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper (6 peppercorns)
MAIN

1 plum tomato, chopped

2 cups black beans (separate and blend 1/2 of beans) reduce?
1 cups water (or veggie stock, or even chicken stock)
FINISH
2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Preparation
In pot, brown chopped onions, 5 min.
Using spice grinder, measure and grind whole cumin seed, bay leaf, oregano and chili pepper pod.
To pot with brown onions, add and celery, red pepper, tomato, garlic and spices, and saute additional 5 minutes.
Add black beans, can juices, and water. Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer, 20 min.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Use stick blender to partially blend, so that soup is partially creamy and still has some whole beans and chopped vegetables.

Soups Table

Summary of all my soup recipes, for cooking with the soup method. Don't follow recipes, let them guide you.

MY EUROPEAN SOUPS

Soup	Base	Spice	Main	Finish
White Bean	onion, carrot, celery	garlic, thyme, bay	tomato, navy bean, stock	balsamic vinegar, parsley
Carrot	onion, carrot	tarragon, orange	stock
Minestrone	onion, carrot	garlic, bay, oregano, basil	tomato, zucchini, cabbage, shells, white beans, stock	balsamic vinegar, parsley
Corn Chowder	onion, pepper	garlic	corn, stock	chives
Split Pea	onion, carrot, celery	garlic, bay, thyme, parsley	split peas, stock	lemon juice, parsley
Seven Bean	onion, carrot, celery, pepper	garlic, bay, thyme, chili, oregano, basil	tomato, beans, stock	balsamic vinegar, cilantro
French Onion	onion	bay	white wine, stock	croutons
Barley Mushroom	onion, celery, carrot	bay	mushroom, barley, stock	parsley
Beet Potato	onion, celery	garlic, bay, thyme	beet, potato, stock	lemon juice, parsley
Butternut Squash	onion, carrot	garlic, ginger, cinnamon	butternut squash, stock	lemon juice
Black Bean	onion, celery, pepper	garlic, chili, bay, oregano, cumin	tomato, black beans, stock	cilantro

Vegetable Base

Also called Soup Greens, Aromatic Vegetables or Trinity.) The base is the large volume of soup greens (onions, celery, carrot, tomato, bell pepper,) cut into small pieces, slowly steamed and simmered 15-30 min.
The base keeps the solids and evaporates the liquid, concentrating the flavors. This is the opposite of stock, which keeps the liquid and wastes the solids.

BASE
- India: onion, tomato
- France: onion, carrot, celery (mirepoix)
- Italy: onion, tomato (soffritto)
- Spain: onion, tomato (sofrito)
- American Cajun: onion, celery, bell pepper (holy trinity)
A base is often associated with smaller amount of seasonings (garlic, ginger, thyme, parsley,) to make a signature taste.

SWEATING
Small pieces are simmered in a covered saucepan in their own moisture and steam, gradually passing through bright and firm, then becoming dull and wilted as fiber breaks down. Onions become translucent. Avoid burning by using a low heat, occasionally stir, and adding a splash of stock or water.
BROWNING
Small pieces are dry roasted in an uncovered saucepan, as their outsides dry out, quickly passing through golden, then brown, as sugars cook. This brings out sweetness and flavor. Avoid burning by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, and adding a splash of stock or water.
DEGLAZING
Deglazing uses a splash of stock or water on a hot saucepan, which rapidly steams, to lift and mix the browned pieces. Use hot stock or water from a saucepan on the stove.
JUICY VEGETABLES (TOMATOES)
Tomatoes, which contains lots of tomato juice, can be used both as base (small amounts) and liquid (larger amounts.) I’ll often deglaze onions with tomatoes. I’ll reserve most of my tomatoes, especially canned tomatoes in juice, until after my base vegetables have browned and sweated.

Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is made from ends, peels and scraps. Stock is left unseasoned. Some stock recipes use whole or sliced vegetables and discard the solids. This is wasteful. I prefer to use chopped vegetables as my vegetable base, and fill a saucepan with the scraps, and the scraps make my stock. When the stock liquid is poured off, the solids become compost or are discarded. With this method, my stock mirrors my base.

VEGETABLES
- onion ends and peels (Red onions make red stock. Yellow onions make golden stock.)
- celery leaves and tops
- carrot peels and tops
- sweet pepper stems, ribs and seeds
- potato peels
- cabbage hearts and outer leaves
HERBS
- garlic skins
- herb stems (parsley, cilantro, etc.)

To make a flavorful vegetable stock it is necessary to use lots of vegetables--fill your pot! Be careful of chilis and citrus peels (lemon, lime), and use sparingly if at all.

I started cooking with packaged stocks. While I cooked with packaged stocks, I was never satisfied with my soups. To me, packaged stock almost never match my cooking, and taste muddy. For example, Asian soups need different base and spice than European soups. Italian minestrone needs a different stock than Hungarian goulash.

Never add water. Always add stock.

Seasoning

Seasoning uses number of herbs and spices, selected from a larger palette. My grandmother often cooked with only salt, pepper and parsley. Almost all seasoning includes salt and pepper. In place of pepper other pungent spice like cumin may be used.

SPICE
India: ginger, garlic
France: thyme
Italy: garlic, olives, basil
Spain: garlic, olives, oregano
Use the simplest combination that works. Fewer spices is better than more.

Tablespoons for Herbs
Try 1 tbsp of big herbs like garlic and ginger (1 clove garlic or 1/2 inch ginger), lemon juice, fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, etc.

Teaspoons for Spices
Try 1 tsp of dry vegetable powders: paprika, chili
Try 1/4 tsp of spices: cumin, coriander, thyme
Try 1/8 tsp of strong spices: turmeric, chili, salt, pepper

Beet Potato Soup

Beet and Potato Soup, full of winter root chunks, is a hearty lunch soup. Some Borscht strains the solids into broth. I prefer a more hearty, rustic and frugal soup that keeps the solids. Beets were a primary root vegetable of Eastern and Central European, preceeding the potato. Polish Christmas Eve feast serves vegetarian Borscht with mushroom or sauerkraut-filled dumplings. Good with dumplings and sauerkraut.

BASE
1 onion
2 celery (optional)
SPICE
1 garlic
2 bay leaf
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper (6-12 peppercorns)
MAIN
3 beets, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
FINISH
lemon juice or vinegar (sour)
1 tbsp fresh parsley

Prep: Chop vegetables. In sauce pan collect tops, skins, peels and other leavings, including beet stems and leaves, and potato peels. Simmer in just enough water to cover.
Roast: In saucepan, brown onions, 10 min. Add and sweat celery, 5 min.
Simmer: Add spices, chunks of roots, and stock to cover, and simmer 30 min.
Finish: Add lemon juice and fresh parsley and serve.

Soup Method

Soup is a slow cooked dish, whose main ingredient is a liquid stock. Soups are simple recipes with common ingredients, but not necessarily fast. The best soups are made from scratch, and cooked slowly. Soups requires some planning and preparation, but are not labor intensive, mostly cooking in the background.

Soup = BASE + SPICE + MAIN (STOCK and FEATURE) + FINISH

Vary the ingredients in each building block.

The soup method applies equally to Asian, European and American soups and stews. From Indian lentil soups and curries, to European vegetable minestrone soup. With popularity of both dry dishes and fast cooking, soups and stews are becoming a lost art. Can you remember the last good European soup or stew you made?

Soups and stews should have mouth watering flavor. It’s a common mistake to think that flavor comes from spices. Flavor comes from the base and the stock. The base and stocks commonly use aromatic vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, tomato and peppers. The spices and finish only enhance the central flavors that come from the base vegetables.

The best way to serve green and yellow vegetables is not as salad, and not as a side dish, but as soups and stews. An amazing amount of green and yellow vegetables and roots effortlessly disappear into soups and stews.

Soup Tips

List of general tips for better soups.

BASE

- Roast vegetables in oven.

MAIN

- Add tomato or tomato juice as liquid.

- Puree or blend 1/2 to thicken.

- Thicken with mashed potatoes (or tomato paste or cornstarch)

FINISH

- Test seasonings in tasting cup. Ladle 1/2 cup soup into tasting cup, and try adding drops and pinches of liquids and spices. Avoids mistakes in the main soup pot.

- Lemon juice (1 tbsp) perks up or brings out flavors. Also lime juice, basalmic vinegar, white vinegar, or mustard condiment (which has vinegar).

- Salt (Soups with lots of liquid dilute and require lots of salt, so use the minimum amount, and not too much liquid. Add 1/8 tsp increment. Salt base layer during simmer, adjust salt at finish.)

- Try secret sauces (mustard, ketchup, soy, worchestershire, basalmic vinegar, salsa, etc.)

Split Pea and Potato Soup

This pea soup is winter comfort food. Cooking fills kitchen with amazing smells. Almost like baking bread. A favorite we make almost once a week. Also freezes well.

BASE
1/2 onion
1 carrot
SPICE
1 clove garlic
2 bay leaves
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper (4-6 peppercorns)
1 tsp paprika
MAIN
1 cup green split peas
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup stock (ends, peels)
FINISH
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh parsley

In a sauce pan, brown onions, 10 min. Add carrots and garlic, and continue to saute, 5 minutes. Add a splash of stock or water as necessary.
Then add spices, split peas, potatoes, and stock or water, stir and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover 1 and 1/2 hours.
Allow to partially cool, and with stick blender partially blend together, leaving a few peas and potato chunks for texture.
Finish with lemon juice, salt to taste and garnish with fresh parsley.

Green Lentil Curry

This mung bean dal is a rustic spicy soup or curry. Warm and colorful soup, good served with flatbread or rice.

Mung beans are type of green lentil common in Indian and Chinese cooking. They can be purchased whole and split with a couple of pulses of a food processor.

Ingredients
MAIN
1 cup split mung beans, (green lentils)
SPICE
1 in fresh ginger, chopped
1 whole green chili pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups water
FINISH
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds, ground
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp salt
handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation
In pot add split mung beans, ginger, whole chili, turmeric and water, and bring to boil, 10 min. With strainer remove foam.
(Use split mung beans, or use whole mung beans and give 5-10 pulses in food processor, until more beans are split open than not. Don't process too much, or you quickly get just lentil flour and dust.)
Then reduce heat and simmer, 15-25 min., until lentils are tender.
Meanwhile, in spice grinder, grind cumin seeds. After lentils have simmered, add tomatoes, cumin powder, garam masala and salt, and simmer additional 10 min. (Total cooking time for lentils is 45-55 min.) Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.
Quick use of stick blender turns into finished soup, or serve chunky and rustic. (Remember to remove the chili if you don't want hot!)

NOTES
Curry can be made more or less hot by adding or leaving out chili pepper.

Rice Lentil Soup

Rice lentil soup is traditional breakfast (kitchari).

Ingredients
MAIN
1 cup brown rice, soaked
1/2 cup green dal, soaked
2 cups water (or more)
SPICE
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp salt

Preparation
Simmer until rice and lentils soft and mushy. May require extra water.

Coconut Rice Soup

This is a simple soup, lightly flavored. Leftover cooked rice is broken up and cooked as soup. The base is shallot-garlic-ginger which makes a light broth if water and no extra broth is added. Medium grain rice is slightly sweeter than long grain. Coconut is added for slightly richer flavor.

Ingredients
BASE
2 shallots, sliced thin
1 tsp garlic, sliced thin
1 tsp ginger, sliced thin
1 cup water or light broth
SPICE
1/8 tsp salt
MAIN
1 cup medium grain brown rice, cooked

2/3 cups water

FINISH

1/8 cup shredded coconut, soaked (optional)

1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation

In saucepan at medium heat, covered, sweat shallots, ginger and garlic, 5-10 min.

In food processor or blender, mix cooked rice and enough water to mix. Use a few short bursts to break rice, but don't puree.
Add rice mixture to saucepan, add enough water or light broth to make soup, and salt, and bring just to boil.
Add coconut and lemon juice to taste.

Spicy Carrot Soup

Spices are inspired from the Caribbean mixture of American, African and Asian cuisine. Though I first tasted from the menu a fancy Italian restaurant in Berkeley, California, at the beginning of a summer vacation trip back east. The hint of curry comes from cardamom and turmeric. Allspice is Caribbean, and I picked up whole allspice berries from West Side Market in Cleveland, Ohio, on the same trip. Vegetable base is onion and carrot, with potato for thickening; all roots that keep well. Cooked during the vacation, and adjusted spices back home.

Ingredients
BASE

1 onion, chopped

8 carrots, chopped

1 potato, peeled, chopped

SPICE

1/4 tsp allspice berries, ground

6-12 pods green cardamom seeds, ground

1/8 tsp black peppercorn, ground

1/8 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp salt

Preparation

To grind whole spices: Remove cardamom seeds from pods, and grind allspice berries, black peppercorn and cardamon seeds. Set aside. This step can be done while browning onions, along with prepping the main ingredients.

To start base: Brown onion, lowering heat once it colors, 10-12 min. Add splash of water, carrot and potato, and simmer 10-15 min, adding water as necessary. Result should be soft vegetables. Puree in blender and return to pot. Add spices and continue simmer 30 min.

Finish: Garnish with croutons and fresh parsley or cilantro.

Basic Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 cup lentils
4 cups water
1/2 inch ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red chili pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
fresh cilantro

Preparation

Boil 1 cup lentils in 4 cups water. Add ground spices. Reduce heat and simmer covered, approximately 30 minutes until tender.

In separate pan, brown onion, 10 minutes, then add tomato until just cooked, 5 minutes. Add finish to lentil soup. Salt to taste and garnish with fresh cilantro.