In Autumn, I want hearty, rich foods - foods that will stick with you and help to fortify you against the bracing cold that comes with shorter and darker days.
I want hearty sourdough bread, roasted root vegetables, soups, stews, and earthy pulses, cooked until soft and fall-apart tender.
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Split Peas
Split peas, like all pulses, are simple, affordable, and versatile foods. They're hearty, immensely satisfying, and mercifully light on the budget.
Split peas marry well with cured pork like bacon and ham, which is why you see them paired together so often in northern European cooking. But, even more than a natural pairing, the satisfying nature of split peas - made that way by plenty of protein and fiber - helps to extend the meat you use, so that you can use less meat, which allows you to afford higher quality meat, all while maintaining that same sense of delicious, satisfying and affordable meals.
Split peas are particularly rich in trace elements, like molybdenum, manganese, copper, and phosphorus as well as B vitamins like folate and thiamin.
Split Pea Purée Recipe
Ingredients
For the Split Pea Purée
- 1 cup split peas
- 1 ½ cups bone broth
- 4 slices bacon (sliced into matchsticks)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 yellow onion (chopped fine)
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- finely ground real salt (as needed)
For the Roasted Root Vegetables
- 4 carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 2 medium parsnips (peeled and chopped)
- 1 medium celeriac (peeled and chopped)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- finely ground real salt (as needed)
To Serve
- Rye bread
- salted butter
- Thinly sliced ham
Instructions
- Dump the split peas into a bowl, cover them with warm water and let them soak at least four and up to eight hours. Drain, and rinse well.
- Toss the peas into a medium pot, cover with stock. Bring them to a boil over high heat, then turn down the heat to medium and simmer, covered, until the peas are tender and cooked through. Turn off the heat, replace the lid to keep them warm.
- Heat the oven to 425 F.
- Toss the carrots, parsnips and celeriac in a large bowl with olive oil, stirring them until they're evenly coated. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet, and season them generously with salt. Roast them for 20 minutes or until cooked through, with their edges beginning to caramelize.
- While the vegetables roast, fry the bacon in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a waiting plate. Stir the chopped onion and fresh thyme into the hot bacon fat and cook until fragrant and translucent, about 6 minutes.
- Transfer the onion and bacon fat, reserved split peas and white pepper to a food processor. Process until smooth. Generously adjust the seasoning of the puree with salt, and process about 30 seconds longer.
- Spoon the purée into a bowl, top with roasted vegetables and reserved bacon. Serve warm with buttered rye bread and ham.
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