3867. CURRIED SPLIT PEA SOUP with FRIED PANEER and BACON

Serves: 6


5 pieces thick cut bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1½ yellow onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
1½ cups green split peas
5-6 cups vegetable broth
½ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces paneer, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
Kosher salt
chopped chives for garnish

In a heavy bottomed pot, cook bacon until it's nicely browned and fat has rendered. Remove bacon bits from pot and transfer to paper-towel lined plate. Set aside.

Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes to bacon fat. Cook until translucent, then stir in split peas. Mix to coat, then add 5 cups vegetable broth.

Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Cook for 30-50 minutes, until split peas are tender. Remove from heat. Add in coconut milk and curry powder.

Using a food processor or immersion blender, puree soup until completely smooth. Add additional vegetable broth if soup is too thick.

In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add paneer cubes and salt generously. Cook until browned (they'll start to pop) and then flip to other side. Brown on remaining side.

Serve soup with fried paneer, bacon bits, and chives on top.


bacon recipe source: Vicky Cassidy, Things I Made Today, October 21, 2014

3858. HEARTY SPLIT PEA and SMOKY BACON SOUP with RUSTIC GARLIC-BUTTER CROUTONS

Yield: Serves about 4-6


Canola oil

6 slices thick-cut, apple-smoked bacon, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 ribs celery, finely diced

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

Salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

4 large cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press

1 pound green split peas, picked through and rinsed

6 cups hot chicken stock

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Squeeze of lemon

Rustic Garlic-Butter Croutons (recipe below)

Place a medium-large or large soup pot over medium-high heat, and add in just a small drizzle of oil; once the oil is hot, add in the chopped bacon, and cook until golden and crispy; remove bacon with a slotted spoon, set aside, and wipe out most of the bacon grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon worth in the pot.

Place the pot back on medium heat, and add in the butter; once melted, add in the onion, celery, and carrot, and saute those for a couple of minutes just until they begin to become tender.

Add in the marjoram, a pinch or two of salt, the black pepper, and the garlic, and stir to combine; cook for a moment or two until the garlic becomes aromatic.

Add in the split peas, along with the stock, and stir to combine; bring the soup up to a rolling simmer/boil, and then cover, and reduce the heat to low, simmering the soup very gently for about 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the peas have split and are tender.

Finish the soup by adding in the chopped parsley and the thyme, along with a squeeze of lemon juice, and check to see if any additional salt or pepper is needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with some of the Rustic Garlic-Butter croutons, and a generous sprinkle of the crispy bacon.

Rustic Garlic-Butter Croutons:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 small cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press

Black pepper

Salt

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

8 ounces ciabatta bread, sliced into ½" thick slices, and then cubed into small cubes

Preheat the oven to 425°, and line a baking sheet with foil.

Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave for a few moments; to it add the pressed garlic cloves, a pinch of black pepper, a couple of pinches of salt, and the Italian seasoning, and mix with a fork to combine.

Place the cubed ciabatta into a medium-size bowl, and pour the butter mixture evenly over the cubes; toss to coat, and pour the cubes out in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake for about 12-15 minutes, tossing the cubes occasionally for even crisping/browning.

Remove from oven and allow the cubes to cool completely on the baking sheet; use immediately, or keep in a ziplock. (You can re-crisp them, if necessary, in a low-heat toaster oven for about 8-10 minutes.)


bacon recipe source: Ingrid Beer, The Cozy Apron (@TheCozyApron), March 1, 2015

2555. SPLIT PEA SOUP with BACON, HAM HOCK and SPARE RIBS

yields twelve servings


4 oz. (1/2 cup) slab bacon, finely diced
1 slab of pork spare ribs, cut into individual pieces
1 small carrot, finely diced
1 red onion, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 tablespoon Kosher salt, or more to taste
1 lb. split peas (1 1/3 cups)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 smoked ham hock
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
crusty bread for serving

Sauté bacon in a 6-quart Dutch oven over med-low heat until the fat has rendered and it's cooked, 5-10 mins. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon, increase the heat under the pot to medium, and add the ribs. Brown on both sides, 3 minutes per side. Remove the ribs to a plate and set aside. Add the carrot, onion, celery, and salt and sweat the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add the split peas, garlic, bay leaf, thyme (sprigs tied together to be removed later), ham hock, cayenne pepper, black pepper, the ribs, and 2 1/2 quarts water. Simmer, skimming the foam that will rise to the surface as the water comes up to heat, until the peas and spare ribs are tender, 2-3 hours. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Remove the hock from the soup. When it's cool enough to handle, pick the meat off it and add it back to the soup (discard the bone). To serve, divide the ribs among bowls and ladle the soup over them.  Eat with abundant, crusty bread.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Michael Symons, The Chew, ABC-TV

2324. SPLIT PEA and BACON SOUP with CHEDDAR TOASTS

serves four


CHEESE TOASTS:
8 long diagonal slices from a baguette
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (12 ounces)

SOUP:
1/4 pound sliced bacon (about 6 slices), chopped
2 cups frozen peas (one 12-ounce package)
1 cup shredded carrot (2 carrots if shredding yourself)
1 cup water
2 cans split pea soup (18- to 19-ounces each)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or celery leaves (optional)

To make the cheese toasts, preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle position.

Arrange bread slices side by side on a foil-lined baking sheet and cover with cheese (by keeping them side by side you’ll loose less cheese off the edges). Bake in oven until bread is crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

While cheese toasts are baking, cook bacon in a medium skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, and transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Meanwhile, combine peas, carrots, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add soup and simmer, uncovered, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in parsley, if using. Ladle into bowls, top with bacon, and serve with toasts.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Kemp Minifie, for KitchenDaily / SlashFood, January 6, 2011

2178. SPLIT PEA SOUP with CURRY and BACON

serves six


1 (16-ounce) bag of green split peas
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, chopped into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium-sized white onion, chopped finely (about 1 cup)
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 pieces of uncured nitrate/nitrite-free bacon, coarsely chopped
1 dried bay leaf
3 cups of chicken stock (see note below)
3 cups of water
1 and 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon sea salt

Place split peas in a small stockpot and cover with filtered water. Simmer for 25 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, carrot and bacon for seven minutes on medium heat until softened and bacon is fragrant. Add garlic and stir for a minute or so. Add salt and curry and allow to fry for a minute, stirring occasionally.

Add in water, stock, peas, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor.

Check seasoning and add more salt if necessary. I usually add another quarter to half teaspoon at this point.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Kari's Creations, December 2010

2056. COUNTRY SPLIT PEA SOUP with BACON and POTATOES

makes 8 to 10 servings


3 tablespoons butter
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
8 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 pound dried green split peas
10 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons dry sherry
5 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 cooked Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
12 slices bacon, cooked until crisp (reserve some for garnish)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a 6- to 8-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the split peas and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 1 hour, or until the split peas are soft and tender.

Remove from the stove. Add the sherry and Tabasco sauce. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender, or work in batches with a regular blender until smooth. Add the cooked potatoes and bacon. Stir to combine thoroughly. Garnish each bowl with crumbled bacon.


bacon recipe courtesy of: New England Soup Factory Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Nation's Best Purveyor of Fine Soup by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein. Thomas Nelson, 2007

2035. SPLIT PEA SOUP with BACON and ROSEMARY

makes 4 to 6 servings


4 bacon slices, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only), sliced
1 large carrot, peeled, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 1/4 cups green split peas, rinsed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled

Sauté bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Add onion, leek, carrot and garlic and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add broth, peas, bay leaves and rosemary and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Mary Klonowski, Bon Appétit, September 2000

801. CAULIFLOWER, BACON and SPLIT PEA SOUP

serves 4

1 250 gram packet dried yellow split peas
1 175 gram packet lean bacon, fat trimmed, chopped
2 teaspoon ground coriander
5 cups chicken stock
1 brown onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 medium cauliflower, cut into small florets
300 grams extra creamy natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
Ground black pepper, to taste

Place the split peas in a large bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Cover and set aside for 6 hours to soak.

Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the coriander and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until aromatic.

Drain the split peas and add to the pan with the stock, onion and garlic. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the split peas are tender.

Add cauliflower to pan and cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.

Meanwhile, combine 1/3 of the yoghurt, the cumin and 1 tbs of the chives in a small bowl.

Remove the soup from the heat, taste and season with pepper. Stir the remaining yoghurt into the soup until just combined. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, sprinkle with the remaining chives and top with a dollop of the yoghurt mixture.
Notes & tips


courtesy of: Australian Good Taste, June 2000, p.89