Creamy split pea soup smelling of garlic and dried marjoram. The recipe comes from the Czech Republic, where it is called "hrachova polevka". It often appears on the Czech Christmas table as part of the festive menu.
4ouncessliced bacon(110 g) optionally, smoked meat or sausage
6handfulsbread croutons
Instructions
Pour the broth into a pot and add the split peas. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer until the peas are tender. This step usually takes 30-40 minutes.
Blend the soft peas with an immersion blender, but not until smooth. The soup should be creamy but with a coarser texture.
Add the grated garlic and dried marjoram. Rub the marjoram between your fingers before adding.
Add heavy cream to the soup—mix, salt, and pepper. Put the soup back on the stove. Bring it to a boil and then immediately set it aside, do not cook any further.
Cut the bacon slices into strips and fry them in a pan in melted lard until almost crispy.
Notes
SERVING: Serve the split pea soup warm, add a spoonful of fried bacon to the plate and throw in a handful of bread croutons. Add these to the soup just before serving; otherwise, they will get soggy.
The soup is filling, and it can perfectly serve as a lighter stand-alone course. In our house, we traditionally eat it as a Czech Christmas soup.
Instead of bacon, pan-fry cubes of smoked meat, or sausage cut into slices.
If you want to have the soup on the table quickly, be careful to use split peas, which do not need to be soaked beforehand.
The soup is thickened by blending the peas, contains no flour, and is thus naturally gluten-free.