Fall Soup #2: Split Pea

For this week's autumnal soup I decided to make a classic split pea. Not only do I like its heartiness this time of year, but it's something with vegetables that Conor, our family's pickiest eater, actually likes. Which is odd because basically, split pea is chunky and green, two things that most kids I know avoid like flu shots and haircuts.
I also happened to be in the butcher shop (yes, our new home is near a butcher, an honest to goodness butcher shop; it's wonderful) and I noticed he had these leathery hunks of meat sitting on top of the counter.
A nice pork shank, which is pivotal to flavoring split pea with that smoky pork flavor. The butcher split the shank in three parts so I could use one piece in my simmering soup, and freeze the others for later. In exchange for this you could always use a few slices of bacon to start, reserving the crisp bacon pieces to sprinkle on top of the finished soup, and use the fat for sauteing the onions.
The only other essential is a base of sauteed onions, carrots, and celery— and aren't these three essential in just about everything? The holy trinity of cooking.

Once these are softened in some olive oil, I add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock, a cup of dried split peas, the pork shank, and then a mixture of herbs of your own choosing (I used chopped fresh parsley, thyme, and marjoram). Let it all simmer for at least an hour, until the split peas are completely softened.
I use a handheld pureeing wand to puree the entire pot (you can also pour a cup of the soup in a blender and add it back in to thicken the rest, but I like my soup completely pureed).
Season the soup with salt and pepper, and then as a final step, I grate some gruyere on top, if it's handy. A hunk of bread and butter would be nice as well, and the leftovers are always better the next day. I serve Conor's in a mini-sized bowl which he loves for soup...little does he know that he's eating all those vegetables.—Caroline