With all these chill mountain nights, I thought it was time to break out my soup pot again. I love a thick, hearty soup as much as the next person; it’ll warm you to the core.

In particular, I love soups that are easy and cheap to make, like split pea soup. When I was growing up, I thought split pea soup was disgusting. It certainly looked disgusting. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties (~21/22) that I could appreciate it. I even remember the exact pot that made me change my mind.

I had always had split pea soup from a mix or from a can. Yuck. However, years ago my mother made a pot from scratch, and when she gave me a bowl it was garnished with locally made chow chow. It tasted so vibrant and wonderfully creamy, nothing like the soups I’d previously had. And the chow chow was a great addition, the chill contrasting nicely with the hot soup.

Since then, I’ve been making split pea soup quite often. One of my favorites is the curried split pea soup from Vegan with a Vengeance, and I make it a lot.

A few days ago I experimented a little and came up with a delicious soup that I want to share with y’all. Smokey chipotles, sweated veggies, and the best part, sweet corn kernels. It doesn’t photograph well at all, but here’s a lousy shot anyway:

I topped it with over-toasted whole wheat bread and Sriracha. Here’s the recipe. If you try it be sure to let me know what you think!

Chipotle Split Pea Soup (serves 4-6)
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2-4 canned chipotle peppers, chopped
1-2 Tbs adobo sauce from canned chipotles
1/2 tsp coriander powder
8 cups water
1 Tbs salt
1 lb dried green split peas
1/2 cup frozen corn

Over medium-high heat, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and saute for one more minute. Add carrot, celery, thyme and cover. Turn the heat down slightly, and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. This is called sweating.

Uncover, and add the chipotles, adobo sauce, and coriander. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add water, split peas, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover partially, lower heat and simmer for a little over an hour. After 45 minutes start tasting every 10 minutes to check for doneness. Once the split peas are tender add the frozen corn. Cook for 10 more minutes, turn off heat, and adjust seasonings.

Serve. 🙂

Let me know what you think.