Split Pea Soup

This is a recipe I adapted from the NYT Cooking App, Pressure Cooker Split Pea w/ Horseradish Cream by Sarah DiGregorio.

I say adapted because I do not make the recipe the way she suggests in her preparation. I tried three different times and each time the Instant Pot gave me burn warnings and shut down. I also tweak the ingredients a bit.

ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, minced
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 5 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 6 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine or vermouth (if you’d prefer to omit alcohol, just use equivalent amount of stock or water)
  • 1lb split peas (green or yellow)
  • 1 smoked ham hock (smallest you can find, usually @ 1lb but less is better)

Preparation:

  1. Place unsalted chicken stock, peas, and ham hock in pressure cooker. Seal & set for 15 minutes on high pressure. Once done, manually release pressure. Discard ham hock. (You can remove the fat & shred the remaining ham, but in my experience, it’s mostly fat and very little palatable meat. You can also save it to make a stock.)
  2. In the meantime, sauté the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and thyme in a small skillet.
  3. When ready add sautéed ingredients to pressure cooker along with bay leaves & wine (or equivalent stock or water). Season with salt & pepper to taste. I usually add @ 1/2 tsp and several generous grinds of fresh pepper.
  4. Seal and pressure cook on low setting for 10 minutes. Once done, manually release pressure.
  5. Remove bay leaves, stir, and serve w/ horseradish cream if desired.

Horseradish Cream (optional)

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tbsp jarred, drained horseradish
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Mix ingredients and add a dollop to your bowl!

Note: The “soup” will be very thick and more akin to a potage. If you prefer it thinner, then just add more stock, either at step 4 or after, or when you reheat leftovers. I like it thick and usually serve it with a side of toasty French baguette.

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