Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Horseradish Cream

 

 

 

We are experiencing a bit of a Polar Vortex here in the Martimes. It is the coldest it has been all winter and I believe much colder than it was last Winter.  We need to be taking great care against frost bite when out and about and wearing our woolies!

Thank goodness for central heating, well insulated homes and, dare I say it  . . . hot bowls of soup!  Yes this is soup weather!!

 

This delicious recipe Pea Soup Recipe is a recipe that I adapted from the New York Times cooking site, by Sarah DiGregorio.  You can cook it in the slow cooker as I have done, or you can cook it in a pressure cooker.

It is delicious either way and obviously it cooks a lot faster in the pressure cooker. In the slow cooker it will take 8 to 10 hours, in the pressure cooker less than an hour. It all depends on how quickly you want it done!

I have always felt that there is something very familial about having a pot of soup in the kitchen cooking slowly all day when the temperatures outside drop down real low.  It speaks of Home Sweet Home to me.

To me, there is nothing more comforting to come home to on a cold winter's day than a hot bowl of soup, and this is a really delicious version of split pea soup that you are sure to love!   Delicious all on its own, but when you swirl in some of that tasty horseradish cream, it adds a really special touch!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SLOW COOKER SPLIT PEA SOUP

with horseradish cream

Very simple ingredients for the most part. There is a bit of white wine called for, but you can easily substitute it with water or more stock, if you don't have any.

• 3 TBS light olive oil
• 1 brown onion, peeled and minced
• 3 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 dry bay leaves, broken
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 smoked ham hock (about 1 pound/453g)
• 1 pound (453g)of green or yellow split peas
• 5 1/4 cups (1.3 liters) chicken stock or water
• 1/4 cup (60ml) dry white wine (if you have none, you can use extra stock or water)
• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice

For the horseradish cream:

• 1 cup (120g) dairy sour cream
• 2 TBS jarred drained horseradish
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

 

If you don't have a ham hock, feel free to use a ham bone.  That is what I did. I had a nice ham bone in the freezer leftover from New Years. It had plenty of meat still on it and the bone imparted a lovely smoky flavor to the soup.

You can also leave out the ham hock, or ham bone and just use cubes of smoked ham. Or, for a vegetarian version, leave the ham out altogether, and the chicken stock, and just use a good vegetable stock and increase the smoked paprika by 1/2 tsp.

 

One of the readers on the NYT site used parmesan rinds instead of ham and said it was delicious. I do admit I wish that I had thought of that myself!

You can use either yellow or green split peas for this, or a combination of the two.  Yellow and green split peas are a favorite world wide. Not only are they cheap to buy, but they are nonperishable and filled with loads of nutrition!  I love them in any way shape or form.

My mom always made pea soup using whole yellow peas and that was also very good. It was the French Canadian style of Pea Soup.

 

As I said, if you don't have any white wine, you can use water or additional stock. I didn't have any white wine and used additional stock, and it was delicious.

You could use plain yogurt in place of the sour cream if you wanted to.  DO make the horseradish cream however, as it is a lovely addition and adds a lovely additional flavor into the mix.

I have to say though that the soup is delicious even without it.  I put it on last night and let it cook in my crock pot over night and it was perfect.

 

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER SPLIT PEA SOUP

with horseradish cream

Nothing could be simpler.  This is such a doddle.

You will need a 6 - 8 quart slow cooker/crockpot. Combine the oil, onion, celery carrot, garlic, smoked paprika, garlic powder, thyme, broken bay leaves, 2 tsp of salt and a really generous grind of black pepper in the bowl of the slow cooker.

Add the ham hock, split peas, stock and wine. Cover and cook on low until everything is tender, about 8 to 10 hours.

Pick out and discard the bay leaves. Remove the ham hock to a bowl and pull the meat from the bones, using two forks. Return the meat to the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and then taste the soup and adjust seasoning as necessary.

 

If you think the soup is too thick you can stir in a bit of warm broth or water.

To make the horseradish cream, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Season lightly as desired.

Ladle the hot soup into heated bowls and pass the horseradish cream for topping.

Refrigerate any leftovers. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

 

This was incredibly delicious. I am a great lover of pea soup anyways, so this really went down a real treat. It does make a lot, but it freezes beautifully.

Just pack it into single or double serving freezer containers, seal, label and pop into the freezer. It will keep for up to three months.  Simply thaw out and gently reheat when you wish to eat it.

I, personally, like to have a few kinds of soup in the freezer, ready to eat when and as. My mother always kept ice cream containers of soup in her freezer. Whenever we came home to visit, we could always trust that we would be treated to a delicious pot of homemade soup on at least one of the nights we were home! 

If you are a fan of the dried pea and a fan of soups you might also enjoy the following:

ENGLISH PEA SOUP - Thick and delicious, this soup tastes as old as time itself. It's a real favorite soup in the UK and is also known as "The London Particular," so called after the old pea soup fogs that were prevalent in the 1950's and 60's.

HEARTY SPLIT PEA SOUP -This was always my favorite soup when I was growing up. My mother always used whole dried peas, but they can often be a bit difficult to find. I just use the split and it always tastes pretty good regardless. It requires very little effort and more or less makes itself really. 

Yield: 6-8

Author: Marie Rayner

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Horseradish Cream

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 HourTotal time: 10 H & 15 M

Inexpensive, delicious and nourishing. This soup cooks all day and smells fabulous while it is cooking. If you like you can make it vegetarian by skipping the ham hock and adding additional smoked paprika (1 tsp) and using water instead of chicken stock. The leftovers freeze very well. Don't skip the horseradish cream! It is a delicious touch!

Ingredients

• 3 TBS light olive oil
• 1 brown onion, peeled and minced
• 3 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 dry bay leaves, broken
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 smoked ham hock (about 1 pound/453g)
• 1 pound (453g)of green or yellow split peas
• 5 1/4 cups (1.3 liters) chicken stock or water
• 1/4 cup (60ml) dry white wine (if you have none, you can use extra stock or water)
• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice

For the horseradish cream:

• 1 cup (120g) dairy sour cream
• 2 TBS jarred drained horseradish
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. You will need a 6 - 8 quart slow cooker/crockpot. Combine the oil, onion, celery carrot, garlic, smoked paprika, garlic powder, thyme, broken bay leaves, 2 tsp of salt and a really generous grind of black pepper in the bowl of the slow cooker.
2. Add the ham hock, split peas, stock and wine. Cover and cook on low until everything is tender, about 8 to 10 hours.
3. Pick out and discard the bay leaves. Remove the ham hock to a bowl and pull the meat from the bones, using two forks. Return the meat to the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and then taste the soup and adjust seasoning as necessary.
4. If you think the soup is too thick you can stir in a bit of warm broth or water.
5. To make the horseradish cream, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Season lightly as desired.
6. Ladle the hot soup into heated bowls and pass the horseradish cream for topping.
7. Refrigerate any leftovers. You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

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