Autumn - Time for Soup!

It's October. I still have the a/c on, but that's another story! All around blogville there's pages and pages of soup! It was a gorgeous day today, not exactly soup weather when you have hot flashes but why ruin it for the rest of the family. So I cranked up the a/c until we were chilled, and made a huge pot of Split Pea Soup the way my Grandma taught me. With HOT DOGS!




Split Pea Soup with Hot Dogs
Source: Grandma
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 -2 lbs of flanken (short ribs)
1 (1 lb) bag of dried split peas (more if you want it really thick!)
2 ribs of celery
1 bay leaf
Coarse salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded carrots
Small onion, diced fine (or cut it in quarters and pick it out after!)
Water or chicken stock
Ditalini or any small pasta

Place flanken (short ribs) in a soup pot, add water to cover or chicken stock, about 12 cups. Bring to a boil and add the dried split peas. Chop one small onion fine, add to pot, add a small rib of celery, some shredded carrots, and a bay leaf.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for a long time at least 2 -3 hours until the peas are mush. Simmering longer is better. Remove celery and bay leaf and ham bone, cut up any shreds of meat that are in the soup or clinging to the bones and return to the soup. Add salt if needed and pepper to taste.

Slice up a few hot dogs (I use Hebrew National, good flavor!) and throw them in after about an hour or so of simmering. You can also use corned beef. If you use the corned beef, don't add the hot dogs! Throw in a couple handfuls of ditalini and simmer until the pasta is soft.

To serve remove the flanken from the pot, serve that separate from the soup. You can also cut it in small pieces and return the meat to the pot.

By the next day, if the soup is too thick, add water or stock. Freezes really well. You can make it vegetarian using vegetable stock, no meat, and you can also omit the flanken and the hot dogs and throw in a ham bone. My grandma never used ham. She never made it vegetarian either. Basic recipe you can put in whatever you like, some people use potatoes instead of the pasta. If you don't like it really thick use less split peas.

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