Curried Split Pea Soup, or Possibly the Worst Food Blog Picture

If you eat with your eyes, you probably won’t want to try this soup. I mean…just look at it:

When I was ready to photograph it, my husband politely told me that I had spilled some down the side and I looked at him, like, “do you think that dribble is going to be the only thing that looks unappetizing?”

I think maybe this is why I didn’t ever want to try split pea soup. It never really seemed appropriate for  me to say, “Oh mmm, that steamy bowl of sickly-green colored mush looks fantastic. Hook me up with some of THAT.” And, so, I went 27 years of my life without ever touching a bowl of split pea soup.

But, a while back I was reading the Amateur Gourmet’s book, and he talks a little about expanding your palate, revisiting foods you have never liked before to see if that’s still the case…or maybe even to make  yourself like them by easing your way into them.  I’m not sure why, but my mind went to split pea soup. Perhaps it’s because of my relatively new love of lentils and always seeing the split peas next to them on the shelf.

I looked around for a basic split pea soup recipe because really, I didn’t know what was in it besides broth and split peas. I ended up finding an Alton Brown recipe for curried split pea soup, and figured if I was going to try something brand spaking new, Alton seemed like a safe bet. As you may remember, I didn’t think I liked curry, either, so it seemed fitting to make this recipe and have a party for my palate.

The verdict? This was a tasty soup. I liked the curry and I liked the split pea flavor, That said,  it’s certainly my favorite soup ever. I wasn’t gaga. If you like split pea soup, this is a good version with some nice spice from the curry, so I’d recommend it. It’s extremely healthy. Check out the fiber content on this baby. Whoa.

I think I would have prefered the soup not to be pureed and so, if I make this again, I won’t puree it or will leave half of the soup as-is for some texture. The first night it was fine texture-wise but when I was eating the leftovers I felt like I was eating something from a glass jar that said Gerber on the front.

Curried Split Pea Soup

Adapted from Alton Brown
Serves  5-6

1 lb. dried green split peas, rinsed and picked over
2 Tbsp. butter (I actually used Smart Balance)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1.25 Tbsp. curry powder

Heat the butter over medium heat, and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Sweat the onions for a couple minutes, then add the garlic and sweat for a couple more. Make sure the onions and garlic don’t brown.

Add the peas, broth, and curry powder. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 45 minutes or until split peas begin to lose their shape. Season to taste. Use a stick blender and puree to desired consistency.

 
Nutritional Information Per Serving (using butter, for 5 servings): Calories: 305 / Fat: 6.7g / Carbs: 44.5 / Fiber: 16.8g / Protein: 18.2g