Peas Porridge Hot

Peas Porridge hot. Peas Porridge cold. Peas porridge in the pot nine days old. Yes, the old rhyme goes on. And so I went on cooking.

It's funny, I read Little Bear's Birthday (Sendak) and just had to make soup and birthday cake.

Whenever we read Winnie the Pooh, I find myself sipping tea with honey while I make Honey Glazed Cornbread and infuse a cup of honey with mint.

It's funny how vintage stories and rhymes inspire me . . . to eat and cook. Then again, I suppose everything inspires me to cook and I eat even when I'm not inspired. Oh well.

So with the rain falling and nights cooling, I find myself nesting not with feathers, but with food. "Peas porridge hot" is still running in my head and I'm loving mine two days old.

PEAS PORRIDGE HOT with PROSCIUTTO

This recipe is huge and will give you enough to last nine days or share with nine friends.

Ingredients

2 lbs dried split peas, soaked for a couple hours to speed cooking

4 small onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced or grated

4 large carrots, sliced

2 potatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced

2 sweet potatoes, halved lengthwise and sliced

2 quarts chicken broth

3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and pepper to taste (optional)
2 lbs prosciutto (or not, you don't have to add the meat or you can sub ham, bacon, or turkey bacon. I just happened to have prosciutto leftover from the previous night's pizza. Still, the strong flavor and texture of the prosciutto holds up well to soup where turkey bacon and bacon tend to get a bit rubbery and ham too sweet)


Directions
Tear prosciutto up into bite-sized pieces and saute in a large soup pot with 1/2 tbsp of olive oil until semi-crisp. Set aside. In the same pot, add 3 tbsp olive oil, onion, and garlic. Let cook until translucent while you prepare carrots and potatoes. Add veggies and stir to coat with oil. Add split peas, red pepper flakes, and broth to cover all veggies. You can add more broth or water if you find you need more liquid. Bring to a boil then reduce and simmer until veggies are soft and peas are tender and begin to fall apart (about 40-60 minutes). The soft peas will thicken the soup as you stir. Ladle out servings and top with prosciutto.

Yields enough to feed an army (about 2 gallons, soup is not a science so quantity will vary depending on the size of your veggies)

Note* If you are planning on leftovers, reserve an equal portion of prosciutto to crisp up before you serve.
Note 2* Tastes even better 2 or 3 or 9 days old.
Note 3* This vintage rhyme inspired nosh is party worthy! Check out the linky-party-goings-on at a few of my friends' sites. Let's party hop! Bee-Bop over to The Inspired Room, Southern In My Heart, and Common Ground to find some inspiration!