Swedish Yellow Split Pea with Sausage and Basil Pesto
Prep Time: 30 mins | Stove Time 60 minutes | Servings: 6 (with lots of leftovers)
SOUP STORY
I love the simplicity of a yellow split pea soup. Yellow split peas have a sweet and creamy flavor and are wonderfully versatile, filled with healthy protein and potassium. Split pea soup is a Swedish staple on Thursday nights but it tastes just as good on Sunday! Green split peas have a much stronger pea flavor that can be hard to tame. As such, I opt for its yellow counterpart as it is a delight to everyone in the family's palette!...This soup is so simple; it was perfect for this type of hectic holiday Sunday when there was not a lot of time to stand over the stove. I prepped the soup between a dance recital and a holiday party and then let it simmer for about an hour as we got ready for the party and did some chores around the house. Sausage and split pea is a rich and perfect combination; the sausage adds a bit of earthiness and spice to the mellow peas. This is a simple and healthy soup perfect for any season. I hope you enjoy it!
INGREDIENTS
30 ounces of yellow split peas, rinsed well
1 large Spanish onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves - 2 for pesto and 1 for soup)
6 cups chopped carrots, diced
6 cups medium-diced celery (8-10 stalks), diced
15 ounces of Sweet Italian Sausage, ground
6 quarts of chicken stock
Drizzle of good olive oil
Just a touch of Tumeric and Curry (1/2 teaspoon each)
Large bunch of fresh basil for pesto
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Micro Arugula and Sour Cream for garnish
DIRECTIONS
In a large stockpot on medium heat and saute the onion and garlic with olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan
Add the carrots and celery until translucent but still firm, 8 minutes
Rinse and add the yellow split peas and saute to coat the beans with olive oil
Add the tumeric and curry and stir to coat 2-3 minutes
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil and then simmer for 60 minutes.
While that is simmering, cook the sausage. Sausage could be grilled or sauteed in a pan until cooked through, then add to a Cuisinart and pulse until ground. Allow to cool and then pat the sausage with a paper towel to remove excess oil and set aside.
To make the simple pesto, add the garlic and rinsed bunch of basil to the Cuisinart. Slowly add olive oil as you blend the ingredients until it forms a nice pesto texture, set aside
With an emulsion blender, blend the soup to your desired texture, I like it to be creamy but also chunky so I blend about ½ way
Add sausage and the pesto to the pot and then simmer again for 20 minutes or until the flavors are blended
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into bowls and add a dollop of sour cream and micro arugula and serve with a crusty baguette.
