Technically it’s spring, but Mother Nature doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo. I went to work on Friday with a spring jacket on, and leather loafers on my feet; I walked home in a snow storm, shoes squelching soggily all the way. Luckily, I had some delicious pea soup in the fridge that I had made a few days ago, and that warmed me right up!

Pea soup is one of the few foods that actually gets better with age. There’s an old children’s song that goes “bean porridge hot, bean porridge cold, bean porridge in the pot, nine days old! I like it hot, I like it cold, I like it in the pot, nine days old!” This soup will likely not last for nine days in your fridge, but if it did, it would probably taste even better than the day you made it!

Why does it taste better the next day? I think it gives the peas have a chance to absorb more flavours and liquid, and the flavours themselves have a chance to spread and meld better. The soup definitely thickens up a bit after day one. In fact, I recommend making it the day before you want to eat it. It really is better the next day!

This soup is perfect to make and keep in the freezer for days when all you want is a steaming bowl of soup to warm you up. Plus, it’s super-nutritious and high in protein. And did I mention that it’s super-easy to make? The hardest part is stirring the soup, no joke.

I got this recipe from my mom, and adapted to what I had in the house.  Now, let’s make some soup!

Hearty Pea Soup with Ham

• 1 3/4 c. dried peas (I used green peas, but my mom recommends a mixture of green, yellow, & orange)
• 1/2  c. chopped celery (I didn’t have any fresh celery, so I used some dehydrated celery that I had in my pantry)
• 1/2 c. carrots, sliced (I didn’t have those, so…I left them out. But I recommend adding them!)
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1/4 c. chopped parsley (fresh is best, but you could probably get away with dried)
• 1 potato, cut into chunks
• 1/2 c. leftover ham, bacon, or sausage, chopped into small pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• pepper to taste

Boil 8 cups of water in a large soup pot. Add all ingredients except for meat. Simmer on low heat for about 3 hours, stirring regularly. Be sure to stir regularly, as the soup thickens quickly and will burn easily. So stir, baby, stir! Once soup is done, stir in meat, and add pepper to taste.  

I left the ham out of my portion of the soup, being a vegetarian and all, but from my meat-eating days, I remember how deliciously flavoured the soup became once some ham was added.  If you have some sausage lying around, you could add that in too. In other words, feel free to substitute!

My  mom recommends ‘rookworst’, which is a type of smoked sausage, but when I made the soup this time, I added in some bacon I had picked up from a local butcher. This made the DH (a confirmed meat-a-tarian) very happy! Ah, the things I do for love!

If you make this soup, let me know in the comments what type of meat you used (or if you even used meat). Let’s inspire each other!

Next Post: Easter approaches, and I’ve been craving some hot cross buns. So maybe those! Or maybe a recipe for homemade healthy meal replacement bars. Any preferences?

Linking Up at Meal Plan Monday and Happiness is Homemade!

One of the doctors at the clinic where I work made a Pear and Sweet Potato Soup last fall, and liked it so much that she passed out the recipe to anyone who was interested. I took it and made it my own by cutting out the whipping cream and maple syrup and replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock. And adjusting the veggie-fruit ratio to my tastes. And then adjusting the seasoning. Ok, so basically I remade the recipe. But it’s healthier now!

I really think it tastes like Thanksgiving in a Bowl. And it’s delicious. It freezes well, too. I make it at least twice a month, because it’s nice for lunches for me (fibre, yay!) and the DH likes it for a quick dinner after a long work day. I make it ahead and then stick it in the fridge or freezer and he can quickly microwave it if I’m not home yet.

It’s also perfect because fall is approaching rapidly and nourishing and tasty soups are a great way to appreciate autumn bounty. I made this last batch with local Ontario-grown pears and knowing that I was supporting family farms made me feel extra cozy.

Enough talking, bring on the soup!

Sweet Potato and Pear Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 average to large-sized sweet potatoes
• 3-4 large Barlett pears, or a whole bunch of small ones
• 2 tbsps. Butter
• ¾ tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 4-5 c. vegetable stock (choose one that’s MSG free)

Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork and microwave on a potato setting until juices bubble out of the fork piercings. Saute onion and garlic in butter in a large soup pot until translucent. Core pears and dump into soup pot, along with the scooped out flesh of the sweet potatoes. Saute until you start to see the pears get a bit sautéed as well. Add in thyme and paprika. Add in vegetable stock and simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until pears are cooked through. Blend with a hand blender while hot, or wait until cool and puree in blender. Garnish with a swirl of cream if you’re ritzy or just eat with a nice salad or hunk of fresh bread. Feel wholesome and nourished.

Pro Tip: Peel garlic easily by cutting the ends of each clove off. The rest will peel off like magic.

Pro Tip # 2: Don’t puree the soup in a blender when hot. I learned this lesson the hard way. The DH was talking on the phone to his mom when I was making soup one time and both he and she were rather startled to hear me start shrieking in my version of swear words (“Bloody hell!” And my personal favourite: “Oh SUGAR!”) I had pureed the soup while hot and the blender had erupted. The soup not only burned me, but splattered most of the kitchen. I was finding dried orange splatters in odd places for days. Not the best way to impress your mother-in-law.

Anyway, make this soup! It really is good. But make sure to use a strong vegetable stock, as that’s key to making it taste like a finely nuanced soup as opposed to blandish baby food. And let me know in the comments what vegetable stock you recommend! I’m always on the look-out for a tasty, healthy version.

Next Post: When Cravings Attack. Or, Easy Midnight Munchies.