Split Pea Soup with Truffle Fried Potatoes

Earlier this year, we spent a couple of weeks in California visiting some good friends. It was the first time we'd visited with our little home on wheels, so we invited them over for dinner soon after we arrived and I made this soup. (For those of you are new here, my husband and I are full time travelers, living, working, and traveling around the country in a 5th wheel RV.)

After dishing it out and settling around the fire to eat, one of our friends said, "This cannot be split pea soup." I assured him that it absolutely was split pea soup and he said, "I didn't want to say anything, but I really don't like peas. But, this soup is fantastic. I can't believe it's pea soup." And he proceeded to happily eat his entire bowl.

So, if there's someone in your household who doesn't typically like peas or pea soup, they just might like this version.

How to Pack a Lot of Flavor Into Split Pea Soup

Hello, my name is Rebecca, and I love strong, complex flavors. My favorite dishes involve a wide variety of textures and layer after layer of flavor. I want to eat things that are multi-dimensional and jam packed with flavor.

There are five universally accepted "tastes" that are perceived by our taste buds: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. In this recipe, every one of those components are added in one way or another, building the layers of flavor one step at a time.

Here's how we do that in this split pea soup:

#1. Onions, leeks, garlic, AND scallions.

Most recipes include at least one thing from the allium family - onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, chives, and shallots - because they provide a bright, complex flavor foundation to nearly every kind of savory dish.

In this recipe, I included 4 out of the 5 main types of allium because each offers a delicious new subtle component of flavor. Onions leeks, and garlic infuse the soup base with pungent, savory, slightly sweet, flavors.

Then, right before serving, sprinkle on a few chopped scallions or chives to finish the soup with a delicate, slightly sharp, fresh flavor that cuts through the richness of the truffle oil and potatoes.

#2. Fresh herbs and a pinch of sugar lifts the other flavors in split pea soup

This recipe includes a generous amount of thyme, coriander, and cumin, plus a ½ teaspoon of sugar. I LOVE this combination of spices.

• Thyme has a woodsy, concentrated herbal flavor with a touch of floral for good measure. To me, it tastes like the woods smell - all fresh and wild - which is why it's the perfect compliment to anything that grows.
• Coriander leaves (aka, cilantro) have a tart, almost citrusy flavor. But, the seeds are another story. Coriander seeds can be used whole or ground into a powder. Either way they contribute an earthy flavor that's a bit tart and a bit sweet, and, like thyme, slightly floral.
• Cumin is also earthy and warm. But, it also adds a smokiness that brings out the flavor in the ham, and adds a slight bitterness that complements the flavors of onion and garlic, and balances the woodsy elements of this soup.

In addition to salt and pepper, Thyme, Coriander, and Cumin compliant each other nicely and bring out the flavor of the peas and ham.

Why include a pinch of sugar? 

Sugar increases the aroma of flavor, thereby enhancing flavor intensity. Most of us tend to think of sugar as a sweater, which of course, it is. But, sugar also helps us taste ingredients better.

In addition, sweet ingredients balance bitter and sour elements in food - not covering them up, but smoothing them out, giving them what you might call rounded corners.

For these reasons, I like to add a bit of sugar to all kinds of savory dishes, from soups to pasta sauce. You don't need much to take advantage of sugar's super powers. In this soup, just ½ teaspoon does the trick.

#3. Pump up the comfort with Ham and Worcestershire

There's something about the meaty, slightly sweet, smokiness of ham that takes a humble pot of spit peas and turns it into comfort food.

Worcestershire Sauce includes anchovies and/or soy sauce, giving it a powerful umami flavor.

Because of this, I find myself using it ALL. THE. TIME, in marinara sauce and Latvian stew and Green Chili and Meatloaf and Classic Fish and Chips. It adds that illusive umami component of flavor to a wide variety of dishes, including split pea soup.

How to Make Crispy Truffle Fried Potatoes

The hardest thing about making truffle fried potatoes is not eating all of them before they make it to the soup.

Besides mashing them with cream cheese and butter, my absolute favorite way to cook potatoes is to boil them until barely fork tender, then fry or roast them in butter and oil. The technique results in potatoes that are creamy on the inside, and crisp and crackling on the outside.

Toss those crisp fried potatoes around in some truffle oil and they become the most delicious split pea soup topping.

There seem to be a number of truffle oil haters in the world, but this girl isn't one of them. I will say this: truffle oil has a very strong flavor, so you have to be careful to not add too much.

Start by tossing the freshly fried potatoes in about 2 tablespoon of truffle oil then drizzle a bit more over the individual bowls of soup if you wish.

As is the case in all of cooking, it's important to taste frequently and often. Before haphazardly drizzling copious amounts of truffle oil over bowls of soup, taste a spoonful of soup with a truffled potato and go from there.

Just that touch of truffle oil on the potatoes might be enough. Or, you might want to add a touch more.

It's up to you, just go slowly, tasting as you do.

How to Make Vegan Split Pea Soup

Two substitutions are all that's necessary to make an equally delicious vegan split pea soup.

• Use vegan butter instead of dairy butter, or eliminate the butter and increase the amount of olive oil
• Eliminate the ham and add about ½ cup of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast adds a rich, savory flavor to this soup that can easily take the place of ham.