green soup and ham…

Since I’m still taking it easy when it comes to food, I decided that a nice homemade split pea soup was the perfect meal.
After rinsing off some vibrant split peas, I cut up one onion and two cloves of garlic. The onion and garlic were sautéed in some olive oil until softened. Once softened, in went one quart of water, along with one quart of chicken broth, a bouillon cube and of course the stars of the dish… the split peas.
The soup was brought to a boil and then set to a simmer until the split peas began to open and thicken the soup. After tasting for seasoning, in went some cooked ham for an added smokey flavor and then it was time to plate, rather bowl up this warming goodness!
To top off this soup, homemade croutons made with some Italian bread, olive oil and a touch of sea salt.
The soup warmed us up on this chilly night, while soothing our tummies and giving us the nutrition we needed!

at a low simmer…
-R

uh oh… my soup bowl has a ‘leek’

As the evening set in and the air became a bit brisk, the idea of soup for dinner ran through my head…
This past Sunday, I was given a beautiful leek and thought making a potato and leek soup was the perfect way to use this mildly flavored veggie!
To start cooking up this soup, I rendered some pancetta. Once browned, the pancetta was put aside, while the chopped leeks and some minced garlic got a quick sauté in the pancetta fat. After cooking till softened, in went a quart of chicken broth, some water, along with five peeled and cubed yukon gold potatoes. Everything was brought to a boil, then reduced down to a simmer. As soon as the potatoes were fork tender, I puréed them with an immersion blender and then added in a touch of cream, as well as some shredded extra sharp cheddar for a bit of richness…
Back into the soup went some of the pancetta for texture and flavor. Once heated through, it was time to eat!
Creamy, velvety, slightly crunchy and perfectly seasoned… this soup warmed us completely! Seconds were definitely in order…

at a low simmer…
-R