Yellow Split Pea Soup with Autumn Squash and Kale
As most farmers’ market shoppers discover, some of the best recipes are created spontaneously from items you find at the market together. In Northern California in autumn, that could mean tomatoes, squash, rosemary and kale—fine flavorings for a split pea soup.
Yield: SERVES 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 to 3 ounces pancetta, minced
- 1 large onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups dried yellow split peas
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig, 4 inches long
- 4 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed for thinning
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces hard shelled squash, such as kabocha or butternut, in 1/3 inch dice
- ½ pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1/3 pound kale or green chard, ribs removed
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Add pancetta and saute until it renders some of its fat, about 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is soft and sweet, about 10 minutes. Add split peas, rosemary, 4 cups chicken broth and 4 cups water.
Bring to a simmer, cover and adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until split peas are completely soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Taste often and remove rosemary sprig when rosemary flavor is strong enough. (It should be subtle.)
Season soup with salt and pepper.
Stir in squash and tomatoes. Stack kale leaves a few at a time and slice into ribbons about ¼ inch wide. Stir them into the soup, cover and cook until squash and kale are tender, about 20 minutes.
If soup is a little thick, thin with chicken broth.
Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Notes
Like all soups based on legumes, this one thickens considerably as it cools. If you make it ahead, you will need to thin it with a mixture of broth and water in equal amounts.
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