I love the fall. Here in Shetland it’s called “hairst”, and it is most definitely upon us.
I love the cozy feeling of being inside in front of the rayburn with a steaming cup of tea and a chunk of fresh bread while outside it’s gray and drizzly. I love the fuzzy knit wear and boots, and the air as it begins to turn crisp. I love the excitement of Thanksgiving, Bonfire Night, Halloween, and the lead up to Christmas. It’s only really in the last few years that I’ve realized how much of an autumnal person I am. The whole season evokes feelings of coziness and family and baking and crispy leaves, pumpkin orange in the warm window light glowing through the frosty dark outside.
Of course, along with all of these warm orange thoughts comes the abundance of magnificent food. As far as seasonality of ingredients goes, the fall is by far the best season as far as I’m concerned, bringing apple and blackberry, freshly harvested grain, a cornucopia of root veg, leek, onion, pear, kale, and of course, the king of all autumn foods, pumpkin. Honestly, I don’t think this season could fail to inspire some glorious cooking, and some even more glorious baking.
This is the time of year when thoughts of crispy summer salad fade to make way for wondrous, comforting and warming soup.
Growing up my favourite was always split pea. It is everything that soup should be; warm, filling, and nutritious, and perfect for the dipping of some beautiful bread.
One of the reasons that split pea soup is so satisfying is that it’s loaded with fiber. One cup of cooked dried split peas provides over 60% of your daily recommended fiber, as well as being a rich source of protein, B vitamins and minerals. It is as good for you as it is delicious.
As a celebration of all things autumnal, I decided to make this soup extra golden while adding more nourishment in the form of carrots, and super-hero spice turmeric (the topic of numerous studies in the past few years as a possible treatment of neurological disorders such as MS, of which Shetland has one of the highest prevalences in the world). I used home made vegetable stock in mine, but you could use store bought stock, or stock cubes instead if you’d prefer. The result was a delicious, filling, golden pea soup, a perfect celebration of all things cozy and woolly, and of hairst!!
- 1 brown onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 200g dried yellow split peas
- 2 med. Carrots, finely grated
- 1L vegetable stock
- 200mL almond milk (or milk of your choice)
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil and then add the onion. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s translucent and beginning to brown at the edges.
- Add the turmeric and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the stock, split peas, and carrots and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed, until the peas are very soft.
- Remove from the heat and blitz the soup until smooth. A stick blender works very well for this if you have one, otherwise transfer the soup into a blender, blitz, and then return it to the pot and warm it again if needed.
- Stir through the milk and season to taste.
- Serve hot sprinkled with some seeds or fresh herbs (sage would be lovely) and with some beautiful bread to dip into it.