Someone on another NG I read posted a message asking for home made soup
recipes, and that made me think about how really nice a good pot of
'comfort soup' would be! What's your favourite, easy-to-make,
just-leave-it-to-cook, warm, comforting soup? Do you do anything
different to make yours special? I sent the poster my favourite: split
pea and ham! Mine's not a special recipe, but I do like it!

I soak the split peas (yellow or green, doesn't really matter) overnight
in water that started out boiling. About an hour or two before I want
to eat, I sauté an onion and a clove or two of garlic (all diced) in a
little butter, cut a couple of lean gammon steaks into cubes (or smoked
bacon or lardons or pancetta cubes or whatever. Something vaguely
bacony, anyway) and add those to the onions and stir fry for a bit.
Drain and rinse off the peas, add them to the pot and mix everything up
together. Cover with chicken or vegetable stock, cook until the peas
are tender enough for your liking and season to taste. I like to cook
mine to mush rather than blending any of it in a blender or with a hand
mixer. Saves a bit of washing up! heh If you're feeling extra
decadent, a little good cheddar grated into it it also nice (but be sure
not to over salt if you're adding cheese after seasoning).

That's it really... nosh with some good, crusty bread.

-Jen