Asparagus and Yellow Pea Soup

Asparagus and Yellow Pea Soup

I love asparagus and when it is in season I pretty much eat it every day. I love it just steamed with a little butter but it seems I end up using it in lots of stuff. Omelets, salads, stir fries and soup to name a few. Today I wanted a soup using yellow split peas but something more evocative of spring than winter. I cooked the split peas separately in salted water until just tender. That takes about 20-30 minutes. The idea was to have peas with texture not peas that had cooked to mush. This is what I came up with. I was really happy with the soup- I think you might be, too. I did a vegan version but feel free to use chicken stock, if you prefer.

Asparagus and Yellow Split Pea Soup

1 c. yellow split peas, rinsed*

2 T. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, sliced

1 sweet pepper, any color, seeded and chopped- I used yellow

1 qt. vegetable stock- or whatever stock you like

1 lb. asparagus, bottoms trimmed

hot sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Place peas in medium saucepan and cover with water. Add salt to taste. Simmer until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile heat oil in soup pot and cook onion until tender. Add the celery and peppers and continue cooking until they are tender.  Drain peas and add to the pot along with the stock and bring to a simmer. Slice the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and reserve the tips. Place stems in the soup and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the tips and cook until they are just tender. The tips cook faster so I leave them out for the first few minutes the stems are cooking. Tenderness is a subjective thing, sometimes. I want the asparagus to still have a little “bite” to them. If you prefer them more tender cook as long as you like. Serves 3-4.

*Note: If you can’t find yellow split peas the green ones work fine, too. I just like the way the yellow worked with the green of the asparagus.