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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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