Broccoli Split Pea Soup with Chicken Sausage

Amarante

Fri, Feb 02 2024, 1:13 pm

This was a good version of a hearty split pea soup with some broccoli snuck in

Could be pareve with a good vegan sausage

Broccoli Split Pea Soup with Chicken Sausage

Excerpt From: Jake Cohen - I Could Nosh

This one’s for my gloop lovers. There’s no other way to describe split pea soup, a texture thicker than the average puree, bordering on porridge territory. And I can’t get enough! I won’t elaborate on the subject, but as a kid in Hebrew school, I always imagined manna from heaven to resemble the consistency of split pea soup. With that in mind, I wanted to share my version of an old-Jewish-man staple.

Sautéed chunks of chicken sausage set the base of flavor, later serving as the textural Easter eggs (I guess the Jewish version would be afikomen?) hidden throughout the soup. But my true obsession is the addition of broccoli, which adds not only flavor but a pop of vibrant green color to distract from the typical shade of, well, you know. And while I’ve never tried it, as I write this headnote, I imagine you could replace the chicken sausage with chunks of pastrami for a reimagined soup-sandwich combo!

Serves 8 to 10

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces chicken sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces - I used Jacks brand
1 pound (1 medium bunch) broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets, stems separated, peeled, and roughly chopped - since this is blended I used frozen broccoli is fine
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups (1 pound) dried green split peas
½ cup minced fresh parsley

In a large pot or medium dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage and cook, stirring often, until golden and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

To the pot, add the chopped broccoli stems, garlic, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, and 2 heavy pinches each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock, split peas, and another 2 heavy pinches each of salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until the peas are tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in the broccoli florets, then cover and cook until tender, 10 minutes more.

Remove from the heat.

Using an immersion blender or working in batches in a high-speed blender, puree the soup until mostly smooth, with a few chunks remaining. Stir in the reserved sausage and the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then serve. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.