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.

CANADIAN YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM

Steps:

• Place split peas, ham bone, carrots, onion, celery, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper into a large pot; pour in water. Bring mixture to a boil and skim off any foam with a spoon. Reduce heat; place a lid on the pot slightly ajar to allow some evaporation. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and soup is thick, about 3 hours.
• Remove ham bone from soup; strip meat from ham bone, chop meat, and return it to the pot.

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.

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.