Recently my mother had some oral surgery which left her unable to chew and needing soft foods. I picked up the the requisite tapioca pudding, jello and some various soups at the store. Finally having a day off, I made her this split-pea soup, which uses Andersen's Split Pea Soup recipe as it's basis, with a few of my own modifications.
16 oz bag of split peas
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
32 oz water
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Notice I didn't add salt. I seldom use salt in my cooking, allowing folks to add it or not as they wish.
Sort and rinse the peas. Add all ingredients to a large pot.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to let it simmer.
Simmer for 1 hour, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
After an hour check to see if the peas are tender. If not, let it simmer longer, checking every 10 minutes..
Once the peas are tender use an immersion blender to puree the soup. (If you don't have an immersion blender, allow the soup to cool and then use a slotted spoon to place the peas in a blender. Add a small amount of soup and puree).
This recipe works "as-is" for anyone on a soft food diet, others can top their bowl of soup with croutons, ham and/or bacon bits, diced green onions, shredded cheese, whatever a person wishes!
