Split Pea Soup

There is just something about eating soup during the Winter that feels so right.  That whole, come in from outside and warm yourself up with a bowl of hot soup, really feels like the hallmark of Winter eating.  Well, unless you live in San Diego that is, and lately your version of cold and Winter has been 76°.  Then it kind of feels a little annoying to come inside to comfort yourself with a bowl of hot soup.

In typical Katie fashion, I refuse to surrender to these abnormally hot temperatures.  I am willing Winter to happen in every way possible – I continue to wear my fleece jacket (even though I am sweating), I refuse to put on a pair of sandals (after all, my Mom said that it was never a good idea to wear sandals in the Winter), and I have been making deliciously wintry soups nonstop.  Take that San Diego!

One of our absolute favorite Winter soups is Julia Child’s split pea soup.  And surprisingly, it is also the easiest Julia Child recipe that I have ever made (or attempted).  Yes, you need to invest a little bit of time to make the homemade ham stock; but aside from that, there aren’t 46 different steps, notes like “refer to page 483 for the instructions on how to properly…,” and you don’t even need to use every kitchen tool you own.  Yep, in that sense, it’s pretty much the best Julia Child recipe ever.

Hopefully for you, you live somewhere where real Winter exists.  Because while this soup is completely irresistible in 80° temperatures, I can’t even imagine coming in from a cold and snowy day to be comforted with this hearty soup.  In fact, I dare say that I am green with envy for anyone who gets to enjoy this soup under those circumstances.