Emergency Preparedness Through Soup
Seattlest likes to think of itself as an optimist, give or take a few necessary lapses. We’re generally a happy, hopeful bunch. But let’s face it: winter is well on its way; Harriet Miers, wherever she is, is still wearing that terrifying eye makeup; and on top of it all, there’s the flu. Unlike the majority of news sources, we’re not talking about this avian business (although that’s apparently around the corner too), but rather the annual garden-variety stuff—the sneezing, coughing, hacking, and gagging; the aching, sweating and general nastiness.
Some of us at Seattlest have made of ourselves an advance guard, marching bravely ahead to meet the enemy and report back to our fellow countrymen. We have sneezed, coughed, hacked, gagged, ached, and sweat, and we have certainly been nasty, but most importantly, we have come back with a fresh—and long overdue—vision for that age-old cure-all, chicken soup. Never mind the fact that ours involves neither noodles nor hunks of chicken; it is simple, soothing, and goes down easy, and it does contain chicken broth, that magical, restorative elixir. If you believe in emergency preparedness, you’ll print it out and tack it onto the fridge, next to the photo of your mother. She’d be proud.
If you can muster the energy to chop a few vegetables, you can make yellow split pea soup with winter squash and kale. Hearty with creamy yellow peas—a gentler, earthier sibling of the green variety—and sweet with winter squash, this golden soup is autumn in a bowl, with only minimum chewing required. And though delicious in good times, it’s especially fortifying in bad. It’s a recipe worth remembering, because barring seasonal hibernation, mandatory makeovers for all public figures, and an end to influenza, we’re in for it.
Yellow Split Pea Soup with Winter Squash and Kale
Adapted from Fresh from the Farmers’ Market, by Janet Fletcher
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried yellow split peas
1 fresh rosemary sprig, about 4 inches long
4 cups good-quality chicken broth
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ lb peeled and seeded winter squash, such as butternut or delicata, cut in 1/3-inch dice
½ lb plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/3 lb kale, preferably of the lacinato variety
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the split peas, rosemary, 4 cups of chicken broth, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer until the split peas are completely soft and falling apart, 45 minutes to 1 hour, removing the rosemary sprig after about 20 minutes.
Season the soup with salt and pepper. Stir in the squash and tomatoes. Stack the kale leaves a few at a time, and slice them into ribbons about ¼ inch wide. Stir them into the soup, cover, and cook until the squash and kale are tender, about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Yield: about 6 servings
