split pea recipie

[old tree man]

Hi guys has anyone got a recipie for split pea soup or pulses type soup please, we were having a cupboard dig out and came across a few bags so a good time for some warming soups, we are getting a bit fed up with the ususal meat and veg so a good time fo a bit of a change

[crowsashes]

id go for a spicy carrot and lentil soup ... i always make a standard carrot soup and add cooked red lentils and chilli to it. blend it and you good to go :)

ive cooked them before and turned them into falafels instead of using chick peas

cooked lentils
1 chopped onion
spices to taste - i use a bit of paprika, cumin and a little chilli plus seasoning
(lemon and parsley work well as do lemon and corriander)
1 egg and a little flour to bind it.

you basically shove all the ingredients into a bowl and mix it up until it can be formed into balls or small burger shapes ( adding egg and flour a little at a time helps with this)

then fry them in oil - i usually serve mine up with lettuce, red onion and either hummus or mayonnaise (depends what i have in!)

the above also works well with chick peas, broad beans or potatoes and carrots, great for using leftover veggies

[Green Aura]

My favourite is pea and ham soup, the ham hock gives it such a lovely flavour, but you could leave it out if you want a meat free soup.

I just chop and sweat onions, celery and carrots in a little oil, add the split peas and hock, a bay leaf, whole black peppercorns and some parsley stalks. Cover with water (or salt-free stock if you miss out the meat) by about an inch or so, bring to the boil , reduce the heat and cook slowly until the peas are dropping and the meat is falling off the bone. You can add spuds for the last hour or so, depending on how soft you like them. Then remove the parsley stalks, season and serve with some nice bread.

You can do it in a slow cooker too but make sure you boil the peas for a few minutes - I've had problems getting them to soften cooking this way but I think we decided (on here somewhere) that it might be the salt in the hock making them stay hard rather than the slow cooker method.

[old tree man]

Great stuff thanks going to log off and do it straight away ready for my tea tomorrow