NYC is about to be dumped on by about 24 inches of snow. Schools are closed tomorrow, roads close tonight at 11pm, as does mass transit. It’s going to be a ghost town here in a couple of hours, which is odd for the city. It’s not snowing at all right now, but AccuWeather’s minutecam says the snow will arrive in 6 minutes!

What do you want when it’s cold and snowy outside? A hot bowl of soup! This is my all-time favorite pea soup. I’ve made it numerous times. I like that half of the peas are added at the beginning, then the other half later. Half of the peas get mushy and the other half retain some structural integrity, like the carrots and the potatoes. If you prefer a creamier soup, add all of the split peas at once.

The recipe indicates that you’ll have to skim the foam from the soup when it starts to cook. I had to do this several times. I just read a tip online saying that if you thoroughly rinse your peas before adding them to the soup, you won’t have the foam problem. I plan to try the tip next time I make this soup.

I found that my soup needed to cook longer than the amount of time specified in the recipe. I also found that I needed to add more water or chicken stock to keep the soup from getting too thick. Stay close to the cooking soup and stir it frequently so it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. This soup has an amazing amount of flavor of such a simple list of ingredients.

This soup makes great leftovers.

Parker’s Split Pea Soup
Recipe from Ina Garten via FoodNetwork.com

1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small)
1 pound dried split green peas
8 cups chicken stock

In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Taste for salt and pepper. Add additional water or chicken broth if you find the soup to be too thick. Serve hot.

Yield: 6 servings

One year ago: Eggnog Doughnut Muffins
Two years ago: Chocolate Chocolate-Chunk Muffins
Three years ago: Baked Ziti with Tomato, Mozzarella and Sausage
Four years ago: Rosemary Parmesan Coins
Five years ago: Mashed Yellow Turnips with Crispy Shallots
Six years ago: Big Dutch Baby