Yellow Split-Pea Soup

This is the “other” split-pea soup that people don’t often make. But I sure like it -- Pea Soup Yellow or Green fit’s the spot for me.

Please don’t ask me why I HATE plain peas but love split-pea soup -- I just don’t know!

Yellow Split-Pea Soup

1 unsliced loaf Pumpernickel bread

8 cups water

1 16-ounce package yellow split-peas

1 pound lean salt port, rind removed

2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 medium carrots, sliced

4 medium stalks celery, sliced

Garnish: Pumpernickel croutons or snipped chives

Using an unsliced loaf of pumpernickel bread cube into 1-inch square croutons and place in a large bowl. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over croutons and mix well to coat. Place croutons on baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a 300 degree oven until dry and toasted. Cool.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat water and yellow split-peas to boiling; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Add salt pork, onions, marjoram and pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Skim fat if necessary.

Add carrots and celery. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove slat port; cut in 1/4-inch slices and return to soup.

Serve in warm bowls and garnish with pumpernickel croutons or snipped chives.

Green Split-Pea Soup

I HATE peas, but I love Pea Soup, green or yellow -- go figure.

In California there is a whole restaurant called Pea Soup Andersen’s that has made itself famous serving split-pea soup. You can find it in Buellton, north of Santa Barbara, just look for the windmill on top of the restaurant!

Green Split-Pea Soup

1 unsliced loaf Pumpernickel bread 

1 ham bone with meat

1 16-ounce package green split-peas

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

7 cups water

1/4 teaspoon whole allspice

1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Salt and black pepper to taste

Garnish: Pumpernickel croutons

Using an un-sliced loaf of pumpernickel bread cube into 1-inch square croutons and place in a large bowl. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over croutons and mix well to coat. Place croutons on baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a 300 degree oven until dry and toasted. Cool.

Tie allspice, peppercorns and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth or place in a tea caddy.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat ham bone, split peas, carrots, celery, onion and water to boiling. Add spice packet; reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until peas are mushy and have absorbed most of the water.

Remove and discard spice bag. Remove bone to cutting board. Cut off meat and discard bone (or cool bone and give to your dog). Cut meat into bite-size chunks and return to soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve in warm bowls and garnish with pumpernickel croutons.

Sinigang na Bangus (Milkfish in Sour Soup)

This is the “Fish Heads and Rice” old Navy sailor’s talk about when asked what the most common food in the Philippines was.  And, this was Miss Julie's, favorite fix-for-herself dish. 

Sinigang na Bangus (Milkfish in Sour Soup)

1 small white onion , sliced into half-moon pieces

1 tomato, sliced into 8 quarter pieces

Juice of 3 to 4 lemons

6 cups water

1-1/2 pounds Milkfish (Bangus), cleaned and cut into 2-inch wide pieces including head

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups kangkong leaves with tender stalks or spinach
1 cayenne pepper

Garnish: Patis and lemon or lime wedges

In a soup pot heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onion, tomato slices and skin of one lemon until soft. Add water and bring to boil. Add milkfish pieces and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, add salt, kangkong or spinach and cayenne pepper. Cook until fish just flakes, about 2 minutes.

To serve place a large scoop of cooked rice into a bowl and pour soup, with at least one piece of fish and some kangkong leaves, over rice. Garnish with a squirt of Patis and a big squeeze of lemon juice. Guest of honor should get the fish head -- and they have to suck out the eyes! Yummy!

Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Soup)

This may not be the real authentic version of this this dish but it comes closest to what the kids and I remember your Grandmother, Miss Julie, fixing. Some kind of radish is more common than the potato used here.

Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Soup)

1-1/2 pounds country-style pork ribs

Water

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 cups water

1 large white onion , sliced into half-moon pieces

2 tomatoes, sliced into half-moon pieces

2 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch dice

1 package “Mama Sitas” Sinigang sa Sampalok mix

1/4-pound sitaw (Asian long beans)

1 to 2 tablespoons Patis fish sauce or more to taste

1 medium bok choy, cut into 1-inch ribbons, top to bottom

Garnish: Patis and lemon or lime wedges

In one piece remove the pork meat from the rib bones and slice thinly. Place pork in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to boil and cook for five minutes. Remove pork slices and sauté in olive oil over medium heat until just browned.

In a LARGE soup pot bring water, onion, tomatoes and potatoes to a boil. Reduce heat to let water just “smile.“ Add Sinigang sa Sampalok mix, sitaw and Patis. Cover and simmer three minutes. Add bok choy and pork slices, continue cooking until potatoes and other vegetables are fork tender.

To serve place a large scoop of cooked rice into a bowl and pour soup, with some meat and lots of vegetables, over rice. Garnish with a squirt of Patis and a big squeeze of lemon or lime juice.  

She-Crab Soup

This is THE soup of Coastal Virginia and it is so yummy!  It is so well loved that the city of Virginia Beach even has a She-Crab soup festival every spring when up to twenty restaurant vie to be voted as having the best.

She-Crab Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups white crab stock, recipe follows
2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons paprika
1 pound cooked Atlantic Blue crab meat, divided
1 4-ounce jab crab roe, divided -or-

1/2 cup fresh crab roe
Salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish: Dry sherry, chopped chives and French bread

Melt butter in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and bay leaf, sweat down for two minutes until translucent. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it dissolves.

Whisk in the stock, stirring constantly until smooth and free of lumps. Gradually pour in the milk, cream, and paprika; continue to stir until incorporated.

Add half the crab meat and roe. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes until thick and heated through.

To serve, divide a tablespoon of sherry among 4 bowls. Ladle the soup into the bowls, spooning the remaining crab meat and roe in the center of each. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve with crusty French bread.

Note:  You can buy Blue crab meat at the most stores. Crab roe is a little harder to find; some good fish markets may have it, but you can get it online in jars too.

Seafood Gumbo

This soup is about as close as “I” will ever get to Cajun style, not being Cajun ya’al.

Seafood Gumbo

1/4 cup corn oil

1/4 cup flour

1 large white onion, diced

1 large green pepper, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 10-ounce package frozen sliced okra

6 cups chicken stock

1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp

1 pound crab meat

1 pint shucked oysters

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Hot cooked rice

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, in very hot oil, gradually cook flour until dark brown but not burned, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt and thyme; cook until onion, green pepper and celery are tender, stirring constantly.

Add tomatoes with their liquid, okra and chicken stock and liquid from oysters; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 30 minutes, or just until mixture thickens slightly.

Add shrimp, crab, oysters and hot pepper sauce; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shrimp turn pink and opaque.

In warm bowls place a large scoop of rice and ladle soup over rice.

Red Bean Soup

This is the way I like my red beans -- simple! Like all bean dishes this soup is better the second day.

Red Bean Soup

1 pound package dried Red, Kidney or Pinto beans

8 slices meaty bacon, 1/2-inch dice

1 large white onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, with leaves, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 8-ounce can tomato sauce

6 cups boiling water

Garnish: Hot pepper sauce

Soak the beans overnight, then discard water.

Put beans, bacon, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, pepper, tomato sauce and boiling water in a soup pot; cook slowly until the beans are soft, about 2-3 hours.

Serve in warm bowls with a good splash of hot pepper sauce.