No soup nazi hier. Hier ist hausfrau with heart.

Let’s talk food!

What! Has she gone mad?

Food?! Precisely 48 hours after a root canal?! Cheek still swollen by infection? Treated tooth still a virgin to mastication?

All the more reason to talk it!

(Incidentally, the soup nazi references a “Seinfeld” TV episode.)

There’s been but one food my body’s been craving since Monday evening post-treatment. Split pea soup.

Craving! As in there’s no other food in the world I desire to eat.

(P.S. My appetite’s slim to none; without a craving, I wouldn’t eat at all, which is a long pattern I’m working to change and another story altogether.)

Last night I finally made it happen.

Behold the green beauty to my eyes!

Oh. So. Satisfying.

And oh so simple to prepare.

I must quickly preface. I’m a good soupmaker. In the vast field of cooking, it’s my niche, one of ’em. Soups bring out my inner hausfrau, I say. And my intuitive side. Creating a soup’s like arranging a composition and conducting an orchestra, both.

It’s fair to say that soup is where the heart is.

So. Split pea. Last night. Today. Tomorrow. Long as the craving lasts.

The recipe? Ah, I’m getting to that! Correction: I’m getting to that to the best of my ability. Because in soupmaking, I’m guided less by recipes, more by intuition and body talk. Thus no soup can be exactly replicated. This recipe from allrecipes.com I tweaked to satisfaction. Let’s proceed.

When cooking, nothing takes the place of love. This comes damn close though:

Mojo in a Jar

This is, simply, mojo in a jar.

If the crafting in cooking matters, this is a must-have in a kitchen. Use it, taste it and you’ll promptly rubbish those dry bouillon cubes, never to be purchased again. Better Than Bouillon lives up to its name and then some.It lays a foundation that’s flavorful and slightly rich and capable of holding the notes of ingredients and spices added.

It’s versatile and seductive and can go from a simple broth to nourish the sniffles (I like mine with rice and ginger) to a solid footing for a plethora of vegetables and proteins.

Can a bouillon cube do that? No way no how!

Comes in chicken or beef; I can’t speak for the beef as my soups are primarily chicken base. If you take anything away from this post, take this — in a mug, a bowl, measuring cup, a pan, pot or kettle, just take it! — Better Than Bouillon is a rock star.

(p.s. I’m not being paid a single cent for this effusive endorsement. 🙂 )

Let’s get to it already!

Simple Split Pea Soup Recipe

1 pound dry split peas (soaked overnight or by quick-soak)

6-8 cups water with several heaping teaspoons of BtB chicken base

(each according to preferred consistency and taste)

3 carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced

Pepper and sea salt to taste — use sea salt, not standard iodized; it makes a world of difference!

Thyme – to taste

2 bay leaves

Garlic, 2 cloves diced – to taste

Cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add water as needed to achieve desired consistency.

And that my friends is it!

Split pea soup of and for the soul.

Not to mention a patient in recovery from root canal/periodontal disease!

In my singularly favorite food bowl that survived the ruthless cuts to travel 1,500 miles. Mmmmmm mmmmmmmm satisfying!

my soup bowl

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