A Soup Made for a Blizzard
We just made it through one of the worst storms the American east coast has ever seen. That was in October of 2012. And now this blizzard that brought us more than a 2 feet of snow. I think that calls for some serious comfort food. The famous green split pea soup. A comfort soup made for cold and snowed in days. Luckily we didn’t lose power but others where not so lucky. I can’t think of another storm destroying our house it’s too nerve wrecking. Even month after the Hurricane left us we are still in renovation mode. For those of you who missed my Hurricane post, follow this link: Wood stove cooking and romantic candle light dinners
A Culinary Tradition that Carries On for Centuries.
I loved snow during my childhood – nowadays not so much. I remember on really cold days my mom would always cook up some comfort food such as a green split pea soup. I don’t know if it’s just me who craves comfort food on cold days. What about you?
The funny thing is My wife comes from the Caribbean and she has a comfort food too. It’s a curry, whether it’s made with chicken, fish or goat. But it’s not cold there. So how do you define comfort food? Does it has something to do with the weather or our emotions? I would love to know your take on it?
What is comfort food and why do we love it so much?
According to The Free dictionary by Farlex the definition for comfort food is: ” Simply prepared food that gives a sense of well-being: usually foods with a higher content of sugar or carbohydrates, which can be associated with childhood or home cooking”. There we have it, what ever is in our comfort food gives us a sense of emotional satisfaction.
A study by the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University suggest that men crave comfort food during positive times while women yearn for comfort food in stressful times. Isn’t that interesting? What are you craving in comfort food?
Health Benefits of Green Split Peas
Split peas whether they are green or yellow are loaded with proteins and fibers. 95 % of all split peas come in dried form, which doesn’t diminish its health benefits. They are also packed with anti inflammatory properties and antioxidants. Studies have shown that peas in general have great health benefits such as lowering blood sugar levels, heart healthy, cancer fighting and cholesterol lowering properties, just to mention a few. For more info on health benefits on split peas follow the link. Linus Pauling Institute
Even though a split peas soup is loaded with “good” carbohydrates and calories I can say that this comfort food is quite healthy. Storm or no storm I will definitely stick to my comfort food as long as they are loaded with peas 
- 3 slices bacon, diced
- 4 oz / 115 g butter
- 10 oz / 290 g / 1¼ cup organic green split peas
- 4 oz / 115g / 1 cup organic onions, finely chopped
- 4 oz / 115 g / 1 cup organic carrots, cut in ⅓ inch cubes
- 2 oz / 60 g / ½ cup organic celery, finely chopped
- 1 large organic potato cut in ⅓ inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp mild vinegar,
- 2¼ cup water
- 3 cups organic chicken broth, low sodium
- In a stainless steel pan saute bacon over medium heat until golden brown.
- Discard fat and place bacon in slow cooker.
- Turn on slow cooker and time for 2 hours. Remember I used a rice cooker with a slow cooking option. The temperature of my slow cooker might be different than yours.
- Add butter, onions, garlic, celery and oregano.
- Saute until translucent.
- Now add all other ingredients stir once, close the cover and let cook.
- Give it a stir once or twice during the entire cooking process.
- Seasoned split pea soup with black pepper and salt if necessary.
So what comfort food are you craving?
Hmm that is interesting I wonder why it’s the opposite for men and women. For me, comfort food generally incorporates some sort of baked potato or potato bake. When I was sick in hospital quite a few years ago, every night my mum brought me potato bake for dinner.
Hi Claire,
I thought about it too, why men and women crave different kinds of foods. I guess the fact is that starchy foods make us feel good whether it’s stress related or not. I could eat potatoes every day and I wouldn’t get tired of it. I’m a potato boy…:-)
Frank Kraemer recently posted..Rack of Lamb with Pinot Noir infused Honey Rosemary Sauce
I hope you survived the storm alright. I agree the snow storm last week was one of the bigger storms I’ve seen in NYC.
I am a sucker to anything slow-cooked. The green split pea soup with bacon sounds really comforting and perfect for this cold winter. Will definite try it out soon. Thanks for sharing it!
Yi @ Yi Reservation recently posted..V-Day Special – Steamed Red Bean Cake 紅豆糕
Hi Yi,
Thank God we didn’t had any damages to the house. I usually cook my split pea soup in a regular pot, but gave it try in a slow cooker. It came out nice with full of flavor.
Frank Kraemer recently posted..How Culinary Traditions affecting our Daily Eating Habits
I will try this recipe for split pea soup since it uses bacon instead of pork, which I’m not that fond of. Yes, we also experienced the tail part of the storm up here in Toronto so this would have been a great soup to make to bear the weather!