A question about a recipe: Split Pea Soup for a Winter's Day

Good point about elevation. Those of us down here at sea level never remember those things. Yes, a pressure cooker solves the problem. My grandad used to put potato in his sometimes, or even those tiny pasta pieces you use in Italian Wedding Soup - Acini di pepe.

My wife and I had dinner with some elderly friends recently. The lady made split pea soup because we told her to keep it simple as she is practically incapacitated as it is. Our friends live above ten thousand feet up in the front range. "I cooked it and cooked it" she told us. "I cooked it all day yesterday and again this morning but it still doesn't seem quite right". Man I had to force those hard legumes down to be polite. Water boils at about 190 degrees that high and those peas just would not soften up. Even down here in Boulder at only a mile high they have given me a rough time. A pressure cooker is the answer of course and the funny thing was she said she had one. The Germans I used to wok for in south Florida made fabulous split pea soup. It had tiny cubes of potato and carrot which gave it texture and a visual vibrancy. They simply cooked it a long time and never "passed it through".

I completely agree with AntoniaJames - the peas just dissolve, and I don't blend it for the very reasons she sites - I like it thick and chunky. Try it - you'll be surprised how smooth it actually becomes. Brunoise the veg - when you chop it - that will make it even finer.

I never blend my split pea soup. The peas sort of fall apart after they've cooked, so I just stir it around a bit. The soup ends up being somewhat chunky or rustic, as some peas break down more than others. Given that this soup has carrots and celery in it, I also would not blend it because I'd want those veggies to remain intact. (Bright orange and green don't combine to produce a color that's appealing to me.) But let's see what Burnt Offering says. ;o)

Honestly, I'd say that's up to you. Growing up, I always had UNblended split pea soup, but the picture (which she does say is not actually the soup she made, it's from a website) looks blended. I really like the texture of having the split peas unblended, personally, but decide what you like!