Yellow Split Pea Soup with Leek & Thyme

A lovely sweet tasting soup for the autumn period, just as the evenings begins to get cooler. Enjoy it with toasted bread rubbed with a fresh clove of garlic. Freeze leftovers.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups yellow split peas
  • 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 leek, finely sliced
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 2 sticks celery, stringed, finely diced
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 Massel chicken-style stock cube
  • Pinch salt, optional
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • Extra fresh thyme leaves, to serve

Method

  1. Pick over the split peas to remove any grit or stones. Rinse and place in a large pot together with 6 cups of water. Bring contents to the boil then turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes until half cooked.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large frypan, heat oil and sauté onions until just softened. Add leek, carrots and celery and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
  3. Add the sautéed vegetables, thyme sprigs, crumbled stock cube, salt and 3 cups of boiling water to the soup pot, cover with lid, and bring to the boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for a further 20-30 minutes until the peas are soft – be sure to test them by tasting. Note: Give the soup a stir every so often to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  4. Rest the soup for 10 minutes before serving. Serve in bowls with freshly cracked pepper and a scattering of fresh thyme leaves, which you have stripped from the stalks.

Serves 5

Tip

  • To speed up the cooking process, soak the split peas overnight in water.
  • If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can use 1 tsp dried thyme in the cooking.

Per serve: energy 1428 kJ (340 Cal); protein 21 g; fat 9 g; saturated fat 1 g; cholesterol 0 mg; carbohydrate 44 g; fibre 11 g; calcium 64 mg; iron 4 mg