Soup recipes will help take the chill out of winter

It is definitely winter. The wind toppled our neighbor’s barbeque grill, the laundry room water pipe is frozen and Jack dressed for a polar expedition just to get the newspaper. Time to turn up the heat - preferably under a soup pot.

Nothing’s more satisfying on a cold day than a steaming bowl of soup, and in weather like this we need something hearty and filling. Time to reach for that bag of dried beans in the back of the cupboard. Or in my case, since there’s a leftover ham bone in the refrigerator and no beans in the pantry, a bag of split peas. As you may know, yellow and green split peas are exactly what their name would suggest, a variety of field pea that is dried and then mechanically split.

But, before we start cooking we’ll need to check the peas for unwanted ingredients. All dried beans and peas should be sorted through to remove small rocks and pieces of dirt (yes, you’ll find them). Also discard any beans that are misshapen, wrinkled, undersized or discolored.

Most dried legumes (peas and beans) need to be soaked before cooking in order to make them more digestible. In addition to making them kinder to your intestinal tract, soaking will reduce the beans’ cooking time. Fortunately, split peas (along with black-eyed peas and lentils) are an exception to this requirement.

After simmering the ham bone, I had a rich stock for cooking the split peas and vegetables. Although the ham adds a distinctive smokiness, this soup needs generous seasoning with salt and pepper to brighten the somewhat bland peas. As you can see from the photo, the final step was to puree the soup and toss in pieces of diced ham.

While I was making this, my friend Linda Blaskey asked if I’d ever tried the North African version of split pea soup. She shared a favorite recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant (moosewoodrestaurant.com) that I’ve included below. Instead of layering flavor with smoked ham, this vegetarian approach includes potent spices like cinnamon and cumin.

Italian sausage will provide most of the seasoning in the white bean soup, especially if you choose a hot (not sweet) variety. If you’re not fond of sage, substitute oregano or marjoram; if you don’t have fresh herbs available, be sure to reduce the amount when replacing them with dried. The recipe for minestrone calls for pesto - a combination of basil, garlic and Parmesan cheese - to add both texture and flavor to the chunky soup.

When you’re considering a recipe using dried beans that need to soften before cooking, remember the soaking step can be done one of two ways: fast or slow. The longer method is simple: place the beans in a pot, fill with three cups of water for each cup of beans and soak them overnight. If you’re not ready to continue with the recipe, don’t let the beans remain submerged or they’ll get mushy and bland. Drain the beans after eight hours and store them in the refrigerator until you need them.

The quick-soak process is the one I usually turn to, often because I haven’t planned ahead. Place the beans in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. After 3 minutes at a boil, remove the pot from the heat and let the beans soak for about an hour before draining. Of course, there’s an even faster way to soften the beans for your next soup - open a can of them - a technique that works for just about any recipe that calls for beans. Eat some soup and stay warm!

Ham and Split Pea Soup
1 meaty ham bone
6 C water
2 C dried split peas
1 chopped onion
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped celery stalk
1/4 t thyme
1 bay leaf
1 t salt
pepper, to taste

Place ham bone in a stockpot and add water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Remove bone and set aside. Skim off any foam and add remaining ingredients to the pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until peas are mushy, about one hour. Puree soup until smooth with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Carve meat from cooled bone and cut into a small dice. If desired, sauté ham in a small skillet before stirring chunks into soup. Ladle into bowls and garnish with carrot curls. Yield: 8 servings.

North African Split Pea Soup*

1 C dried split peas
3 C water
1/4 C olive oil
2 C chopped onions
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t cayenne
1/2 t ground cardamom
1 C vegetable stock
2 t lemon juice
1/2 C cooked rice
1/2 C chopped parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Sort, rinse and drain the split peas. Put them in a soup pot with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Mix in the spices and sauté for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning; set aside. When the peas are cooked, stir in the onion mixture along with the vegetable stock. Add the lemon juice, cooked rice and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Yield: 6 servings. *Adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

White Bean and Sausage Soup

1 lb Italian sausage
2 T olive oil
1 lb white beans, soaked overnight in water
2 C chopped tomatoes
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 C chopped fresh sage
2 t salt
1/4 t cayenne
8 C chicken broth

Slice sausage into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté sausage until starting to brown. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Yield: 6 servings.

Minestrone Soup

2 slices bacon
1 T olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced celery stalk
28-oz can Roma tomatoes
4 C chicken broth
3 minced garlic cloves
1 chopped zucchini
1 chopped unpeeled potato
14-oz can kidney beans
1/3 C chopped parsley
1 t oregano
1/2 C orzo
1/3 C pesto
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the bacon in a soup pot until browned. Discard the bacon, leaving the fat. Add the olive oil and sauté the onion, carrot and celery until soft. Remove the vegetables and set aside. Add the juice from the can of tomatoes and deglaze the pot, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add the plum tomatoes and crush with a potato masher. Pour in the chicken broth and return the vegetables to the pot along with the garlic, zucchini, potato, kidney beans, parsley and oregano. Stir well and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in pesto and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Yield: 8 servings.

Send comments, questions or recipe ideas to capeflavors@comcast.net.