Savory Split Pea Soup

Savory Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

    2 cloves garlic
    1 yellow onion
    1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
    3 stalks celery
    1 tablespoon dried parsley
     Pinch rosemary
    1 tablespoon olive oil
     Water   
    1 tablespoon vegan bouillon mix
    2 cups dry green split peas
    1 bay leaf
    Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Fresh basil makes this split pea soup an absolutely to die for dish.

1. Thinly slice the garlic, onion, basil, celery. In a deep and large pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the chopped vegetables on medium-high heat until softened and the onions are translucent and starting to brown.

2. Add water to your pot, filling to the top. Set the heat to high, dissolve bouillon and add the split peas, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium, cover, and wait, stirring occasionally. It will take about 1 hour or more to cook down, but patience is a virtue...especially since this soup is so good and simple. Give it a good stir with a whisk once the peas are mushy; this will make the soup creamy without making a mess with the blender.

If you like a thicker soup, let it boil down longer until the desired consistency is reached. If you like a thinner soup, feel free to add water when you notice it becoming too thick.

Basic roast chicken soup base

This is a great way to use up left over roast chicken.

Ingredients

left over roast chicken (meat, etc and bones separated) 

Carrot peeled (cut in half so it fits into your slow cooker)

Celery stick (cut in half so it fits into your slow cooker)

onion peeled

thyme

method

place the chicken, saving the meat to add later into your slow cooker

Add all the other ingredients and cover with water.

Cook on high for 6 hrs.

Remove the carrot, celery and onion and place in a blender with the chicken meat.

Strain the rest of the soup, discard the bones, etc.

Add enough of the stock to the blender to allow you to puree the other ingredients.

Mix in the rest of the stock.

The soup base freezes well, so you can always have a batch  ready for use.
2 cups=1 can 

This is a great soup base, how you then use it is up to you. 

Chicken soup with ginger and fennel

I have been wondering what to cook with my homegrown fennel bulb, this sounds perfect 

From Anne's Food

serves 4

1 chicken
1 carrot, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
1/2 fennel (fairly small bulb), coarsely chopped
5 ginger slices, 2 mm thick
2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
1 tsp dried tarragon
50 g butter
2 tbsp flour
100 ml cream (full-fat)
1 tbsp sherry or cognac
salt

Place the whole chicken, breast up, i a pot along with the carrot, fennel, ginger and half of the onion. Add the bay leaf, black pepper, tarragon and a pinch of salt. Add water so that it almost covers the chicken, but leaves the top of the breast above water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer on low heat for 1,5 hours.

Remove the chicken and let it cool enough to handle. Shred the meat.

Pour the boiling liquid through a sieve into a clean pot, and boil until about one litre remains.

Melt the butter i a pot (large enough to hold all the soup) and fry the remaining onion on medium heat until it's softened but not browned. Add the flour and stir well. Gradually add the boiling liquid from the chicken, stirring all the time to avoid clumping. When all liquid has been added, bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let it cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Blend the soup until smooth - I prefer an immersion blender.

Add the cream, sherry or cognac, and the shredded chicken. Season with salt, and any additional spices you might like.