Split Pea Soup
(Meat)

Jamie Stolper

This is a flavorable pea soup that will not take a lot of time to prepare.  I chop the onion, celery, and carrots in the food processor (separately), and I always use beef neck bones to have some meat to add back to the pot.  Sometimes I even add a small piece of flanken, in addition to the bones.  You can also add a handful of small pasta, such as ditalini, towards the end of the cooking time, to make it even heartier.  This soup can be a first course, or a meal unto itself, especially with the meat.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons margarine
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 1/2 pounds beef neck or soup bones (neck bones will have meat, soup bones will not)
2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram
1 1/2 cups green split peas
8 cups water
Salt & pepper to taste (I use 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper)

Melt the margarine in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery and carrots, and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, 5-8 minutes.  Add the beef bones and marjoram and stir for a minute or so.  Add the peas and water, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover pot, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Remove the beef bones and let cool on a plate.  Puree half the soup in a blender and return to the pot, or use an immersion blender to puree the soup as much as desired.  Pull any pieces of meat off the bones and add to the pot.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6.