Split Pea and Barley Soup

Let us, then, be up and doing, 
       

With a heart for any fate; 
   

Still achieving, still pursuing, 
       

Learn to labor and to wait.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, A Psalm of Life

If we - that is, I - have learned anything from this year's MoFo theme, it's that energy, perseverance, and fortitude are key to surviving privation and adversity. (An ability to queue patiently, and a knowledge of roots, tubers, peas, and pulses also come in damned useful.) Which brings us to the subject of legumes. As Carolyn, the intrepid blogger at The 1940s Experiment, notes: "Dried peas were available through the points system during the rationing years … you could get quite a lot of split peas for your points every month (8 lbs) if you didn’t use your 16 points up for 2 lbs of dry fruit or just one can of meat/fish." Since beans and peas pack a lot of nutritional punch, their frequent appearance in wartime recipes makes perfect sense; in fact, the most surprising thing is that the UK's entire population didn't turn vegan on the spot!

Today's recipe is a fairly basic split pea soup, to which can be added whatever root veggies happen to be on hand; carrots, turnips, parsnips, cabbage, the ubiquitous onions and potatoes...after a month of this, I'm sure you're getting the idea. I made this while housebound by Hurricane Sandy, and used most of the contents of our vegetable bin, along with a some barley from my mother's insanely overstocked larder for that substantial "something" so welcome on a blustery afternoon (and of course a handful of green leafies never comes amiss if you have some lying around). And although Sandy wasn't exactly the Blitz, the soup kicked some serious ass; in combination with a pile of cheesy oatcakes, it was the kind of dinner that fuels a person to be up and doing, with a heart for any fate.


Split Pea and Barley Soup
Directions
Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp. margarine (I use Earth Balance) or neutral oil such as canola
~ 1 large onion, chopped
~ 1 large carrot, diced
~ 1 large parsnip, diced
~ 1 large stalk celery, diced
~ 1 large potato, diced
~ 1 tsp. each: sage, thyme, marjoram
~ ½ tsp. smoked paprika
~ A few generous grinds of fresh black pepper
~ 1.5 cups split peas
~ 1/2 cup pearled barley
~ 1/4 head cabbage, chopped (about 2 cups)
~ 8-10 cups "no chicken" broth (or other vegetable stock)
~ 2 bay leaves

~ In a large, deep pot, heat the margarine or oil, add the onion, season with a little salt, and sauté over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
~ Add the carrot, parsnip, celery, potato, and the dry seasonings. Cook about 5-7 minutes more, stirring occasionally and adding a  splash of broth as needed to prevent sticking.
~ Stir in the split peas, barley, cabbage, and the bay leaves. Stir to coat and cook another few minutes.
~ Raise the heat to high, add 8 cups of the broth, then cover and bring just to a boil. 
~ Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1-2 hours, or until the split peas are very tender. (Cooking time will vary due to the age of your split peas, whether you've presoaked them, etc.) Stir occasionally and add more stock if it's getting thicker than you'd like.
~ Fish out the bay leaves, taste for seasoning, and serve hot. (NB that this soup thickens up as it sits, so you may want to add some water when reheating the excellent leftovers, which just get better!)