Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Spiced Split-Pea And Spinach Soup



A couple of days ago I made a lovely Yellow Split-Pea Soup inspired by one I had found among recipes by Roy Walford. Actually, it's very similar indeed to a cross between my own recipe HERE (except for the herbs and spices) and his (although I tweaked his spices to my taste). To my own recipe I added some dried kombu (softened in boiling water, then chopped), 1 tsp ground coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1-1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root, a couple of dashes of cloves (not in Walford), 1 tsp ground cumin, a little fenugreek (can't remember how much, but perhaps half a teaspoon, but that wasn't in Walford either), a tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne (not in Walford), and skipped his oil as usual. Ya get the idea, eh? LOL In other words, I kinda curried it, but didn't make it very hot with chilies.

The method was pretty much as in my own - just throw the whole thing into the soup pot and cook - although in this case I added the spices towards the last twenty minutes of cooking.

The major difference, which is something I haven't tried before ('Well, DUH!' I hear you say. 'Ya need to get out more!') was to throw in a package of frozen spinach, defrosted, chopped, at the end. These days I'm doing everything I can to incorporate greens into meals more and more. I mixed the whole thing well, then scooped out a couple of ladles or so of the mixture and set aside. I put the rest of the soup in my trusty blender, returned it to the pot, then stirred the unpureed mix back into the soup - for texture - and reheated to serve. The result was thick and a little chunky with a lovely blend of flavours.



Always soup here, isn't there? Well, we love soups and stews and one-pot meals! More and more they - plus salads and fresh fruit - are the mainstay of our daily menu.

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