EPISODE 83

This delicious and hearty soup is made elegant with the mushrooms mixtures peeping out along with a sprinkle of chives. You can omit the mushrooms if desired, but I love their the contrast of their texture and taste with the pea soup. Should you have leftover of the soup, it will keep in the freeze for up to 3 months. 

Ingredients – Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 cups yellow split peas (rinsed until the water runs clear)
• 8 cups water
• Juice 1-2 lemons
• Salt & pepper

Instructions – Soup

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the carrots and onion and saute until slightly softened (around 5 minutes). Add the turmeric, cumin, cayenne, garlic, and bay leaves, and cook until the spices have soaked up all the liquid from the vegetables (around 2 minutes). Add the peas and water, cover, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil before reducing the heat to low. Allow the soup to simmer for around 1 hour, then remove the bay leaves, puree with a hand emersion blender, and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. It’s really important to not add salt until the peas are fully cooked, as doing so would prevent them from softening.

Ingredients – Mushrooms

• 2 tablespoons olive oil oil
• 16 oz mushrooms, sliced
• Salt & pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions – Mushrooms

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the mushrooms and stir frequently until they’re golden and starting to become crispy (7-10 minutes). Season generously with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium-low, and add the garlic. Cook until the garlic is cooked through (around 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

To Serve

Place a spoonful of the mushrooms mixture into a shallow bowl and pour soup around its side, so that the mushrooms are still peeping out of the center. Garnish with chives, if desired and a drizzle of good olive oil.