Old Fashioned Quebec Pea Soup Recipes

QUEBEC-STYLE YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Trim off and discard skin from ham hocks.
• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook, stirring regularly, until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in dried split peas, bay leaf ,savory and thyme. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
• Stir in chicken broth and water. Add the ham hock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peas are very soft and soup is thickened, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. *NOTE: You may need to add additional water or stock if soup gets too thick.
• PICK OUT AND DISCARD BAY LEAF and remove the ham hock to a plate. *Note: I prefer a thicker soup, so I blend just a bit of the soup with an immersion blender or blender. Just do a quick blend (or blend just a cup of the soup. You don't want a completely pureed soup. You want it to retain most of it's texture, but the bit of pureed soup will incorporate with the broth for a thicker soup.)
• Let ham hock cool slightly, then remove any meat on the hock and add it back to soup. Discard the fat and bone from the hock.
• Stir to combine meat with soup. Taste and generously season with salt and pepper, to taste.

OLD-FASHIONED SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM BONE

Steps:

• Sort peas and rinse with cold water. Place peas in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 to 4 hours or until peas are softened. Drain and rinse peas, discarding liquid., Return peas to Dutch oven. Add 2-1/2 qts. water, ham bone, onion, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally., Remove the ham bone; when cool enough to handle, remove meat from bone. Discard bone; dice meat and return to soup. Add carrot and celery. Simmer, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes or until soup reaches desired thickness and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.

OLD-FASHIONED QUEBEC PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse peas. In large soup pot, combine peas, water, ham bone or ham, onions, carrots, celery, savory and bay leaf; bring to boil. Skim off any scum. Cover and simmer for 3 hours or until peas are softened and soup has thickened. If soup is too thin, unvcover and simmer 30 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf and ham bone.
• Makes 8 servings, about 300 mL each.

OLD-FASHIONED SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Put split peas and ham hock in a large soup pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
• Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for two and a half hours.
• Add vegetables and seasonings. Continue to cook for another half hour.
• Remove soup from heat. Remove the ham hock and let it cool. Strip any meat from the hock and finely chop. Add back to the soup.
• Put the soup back on low heat.
• In a small skillet melt the butter over medium heat, and add the flour. Cook for about one minute and add about one ladle full of soup. Cook until it begins to boil and then add the soup. Stir the soup until it thickens.
• Serve with bread.

QUEBEC PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Wash peas and soak them in water overnight, for at least 8 hours.
• If using salted pork, cut in thick slices and boil in water for 10 minutes before dicing. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, fry bacon or pork until it starts to brown.
• Add onion and celery and cook until soft.
• Add chicken broth, drained peas, carrots, bay leaf, savory, and parsley. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for two to three hours, until peas are tender. Stir soup from time to time to prevent it from sticking.
• Season with salt and pepper at the end.
• Serve in bowls with parsley and heavy bread on the side.

OLD-FASHIONED SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over med-high heat; add in the onion, carrots, and celery; cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the split peas, broth, and water; bring to a boil.
• Partially cover pan, decrease heat to med-low, and simmer until the soup is thick, about 45 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• **You can add fresh herbs; fresh dill is recommended; also can add meat and ham bones to make it richer.

FRENCH-CANADIAN PEA SOUP (SOUPE AUX POIS)

Steps:

• Wash and sort peas; place in a large pot, bring to a boil.
• Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour.
• Add salt pork, onion, celery, carrots, savory and 1 tsp salt.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until peas are very tender, about 2 hours, adding more water if needed.
• Remove salt pork; chop and return to soup.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.