Pea Soup with Sharp Cheddar Dumplings

By Mariealicerayner @MarieRynr
 

I grew up with a soup making mother!  My mother always made big beautiful pots of soup after every roast dinner.  Be it turkey, ham, chicken or beef, we always knew that mom was going to make soup from some of the leftovers, especially if there were any bones involved.

One of our favorite soups that she would make for us was Pea Soup.  She used to make the old fashioned French Canadian Pea Soup, always after New Years or Easter when we would have had a ham for our holiday dinner.  She would use the dried whole yellow peas, and it was delicious. Those kind of dried peas are very hard to find these days, although occasionally you can find them in the local health food bulk store.

More common is the split peas and that is what this pea soup recipe I am sharing with you today uses.  Mom would not have approved, but one must do what one must do!

 
I adapted this Pea Soup with Sharp Cheddar Dumplings recipe from one I found here on Friday Cake Night.  She in turn had adapted it from Ricardo.   I am actually going to try their version sometime. It uses things like rutabaga in it and I love rutabaga.
I took the liberty of cutting everything in half so this soup recipe makes only three servings.  Its a very hearty soup due to the dumplings.  I love soup and dumplings. These are light and fluffy. I will add more cheese to them the next time I make them because they didn't have that strong a cheese flavor. I did add some coarse black pepper as cheese and black pepper go very well together.
This was delicious however, all things aside. I am going to make a full recipe of it the next time my son comes to visit. I just know he will love it as well.  I froze two servings in individual pots so that I can take one out to enjoy the next time I am rushed for time or know that I am not going to have much time to cook supper. It never hurts to have something tasty like this in the freezer!
If you were really in a rush, you could use a tin of pea soup.  I highly recommend the Sprague Pea Soup.  Its as close to homemade as you can get.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PEA SOUP WITH SHARP CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS
A few simple ingredients.  I love meals like this that are hearty and economical!  This was a real winner of a dinner!
For the soup:
  • 1/2 cup (105g) dry yellow split peas
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 small leek, finely sliced (white and light green parts only
  • 1 medium white potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 TBS light olive oil
  • 3 ounces (85g) diced ham
  • 2 1/2 cups (590ml) chicken or ham stock
  • 1 cup (240ml) water
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • salt and black pepper to taste
For the dumplings:
  • 1/4 cup (35g) plain all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 TBS cold butter
  • 2 TBS grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/8 cup (30ml) whole milk

 
Yellow split peas can be found in most grocery stores.  You can also buy them online.  You can also use green ones, but the color of your soup will be different.
If you wanted to you could grate the carrot. I know some people don't like chunks in their soups.  I am not one of them. I love a thick and chunky soup!
You can use a piece of a ham steak, or get the deli to cut you a thicker slice of boiled/baked ham and chop that up.  You could also use bacon if you wish.  Just add it when you are sautéing the vegetables.  Personally I prefer ham.
If you have ham stock, so much the better!  It is often very hard to find though, so chicken stock is a close substitute.
If you want to keep the soup vegetarian, then leave out the ham and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
 
I used salted butter as that is all I really basically keep in the house.  I find that it doesn't make things overly salty. I use the PC Brand and it is not heavily salted.
Use a nice sharp well flavored cheddar. I used a British cheddar which is lovely, but the cheese flavor in the dumplings was not too strong, so next time I make it I am going to use a bit more so that it is more pronounced!
The coarse black pepper gives it a bit of a bite that is very nice.
 


HOW TO MAKE PEA SOUP WITH SHARP CHEDDAR DUMPLINGS
There is a bit of a wait involved in order for your peas to soak, but once you get past that everything is a breeze!


To make the soup, put the peas in a bowl with cold water. Leave to soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight.Wash the leek (prior to slicing) really well in some cold water, making sure you get rid of any sand. Pat dry an slice using only the white and light green parts. (any that doesn't get used can be frozen to use at another time.)Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the carrots, onion, leek and potato. Sauté for about 5 minutes until beginning to soften, without browning.Add the ham, peas, stock, water and thyme. Bring to the boil.Skim off and discard any foam, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The peas should be soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper.To make the dumplings, measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Mix well together.


 
Drop in the butter and cut into the flour mixture with a fork or a two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few larger bits. Stir in the milk to give you a soft dough.


Divide into three and drop on top of the hot soup. Cover tightly with a lid and cook for 10 to 12 minutes without peeking! (Peeking might make your dumplings deflate or not rise as high.)  When done the dumplings will appear dry on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of one should come out clean.Ladle the soup into hot bowls, topping each serving with a dumpling.


 
This was hearty and delicious.  Very filling.  I loved the thickness of the soup and that dumpling was really nice.  The cheese flavor was quite mild so when I make it again I am going to add a touch more. Or maybe drop a bit of grated cheese on top of the dumplings and let it melt just a bit.
If you are looking for a delicious soup that you and your partner will enjoy, look no further. This is it.  If you are on your own, you can freeze the excess soup ( and the dumplings) for a future date.  Both freeze very well!

I could eat a bowl of soup for supper any day of the week. I love soup and it doesn't have to be Winter either.  I just love soup.  It is a simple and economical belly filler!  Here are a few of my favorite soups to make and eat that I think you might enjoy!


STONE SOUP - Stone Soup was one of my children's favorite stories when they were growing up  and so this simple cabbage, tomato and rice soup became known as Stone Soup. Its a deliciously hearty testament to what can be done with a bit of this, a bit of that, and a whole lot of nothing!

LEMON & CHICKEN SOUP - This is a fabulously tasty chicken soup, with fresh flavors!  It uses chicken stock along with lemon juice. You might think the lemon would be overpowering, but it really isn't.  It adds a lovely flavor note that is quite pleasant! It is delicious and hearty.  You can make everything up to adding the pasta ahead of time, but do wait until not too long before serving the soup to add your pasta.

éYield: serves 3Author: Marie Rayner

Pea Soup with Sharp Cheddar Dumplings

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 MThis beautiful soup is delicious and hearty. In a pinch you could use tinned pea soup, but from scratch is infinitely more delicious!

Ingredients

For the soup:
  • 1/2 cup (105g) dry yellow split peas
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 small leek, finely sliced (white and light green parts only
  • 1 medium white potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 TBS light olive oil
  • 3 ounces (85g) diced ham
  • 2 1/2 cups (590ml) chicken or ham stock
  • 1 cup (240ml) water
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • salt and black pepper to taste
For the dumplings:
  • 1/4 cup (35g) plain all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 TBS cold butter
  • 2 TBS grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/8 cup (30ml) whole milk

Instructions

  1. To make the soup, put the peas in a bowl with cold water. Leave to soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  2. Wash the leek (prior to slicing) really well in some cold water, making sure you get rid of any sand. Pat dry an slice using only the white and light green parts. (any that doesn't get used can be frozen to use at another time.)
  3. Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the carrots, onion, leek and potato. Sauté for about 5 minutes until beginning to soften, without browning.
  4. Add the ham, peas, stock, water and thyme. Bring to the boil.
  5. Skim off and discard any foam, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The peas should be soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. To make the dumplings, measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Mix well together.
  7. Drop in the butter and cut into the flour mixture with a fork or a two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal with a few larger bits. Stir in the milk to give you a soft dough.
  8. Divide into three and drop on top of the hot soup. Cover tightly with a lid and cook for 10 to 12 minutes without peeking!
  9. Ladle the soup into hot bowls, topping each serving with a dumpling.
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