At the end of January, I stocked my freezers full of homemade soups, most using my own recipes or whatever I had on hand. I was about to have reconstructive surgery and I knew I would be relying on others a lot (a.k.a. plan ahead, because I won't be satisfied).
With a dozen different soups, three or four containers of each, my recovery went quite smoothly. I just passed the 8 week mark (6-8 weeks projected recovery time, yet I am not allowed to swim for 3 months, sigh).
A few weeks into my post-op hibernation, scary reports began to emerge from Wuhan, China. My best friend from high school lives in Beijing with his wife, and I found myself checking his posts daily, looking for insider evidence of what was unfolding. Once the virus began to devastate Italy, I grabbed my oldest son and hit HMart and India Market and re-stocked the kitchen plus enough pantry items to last at least a month. (I didn't panic-buy toilet paper, and I had a few travel bottles of hand sanitizer which I decided would be enough.) Here we are, at the end of March, 2 weeks after the last of my childrens' schools closed to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Most people are staying home, cooking for themselves, and practicing social distancing. I am happy to say that we're continuing to eat well, and have not had a repeat meal yet!
Normally, I post frequently on Instagram, but during these heavy times, I think blogging is therapeutic. Instead of sharing a #menumonday post from a local restaurant, I am going to share some old favorites, some pulled from my former food/bento blog, along with some new ideas, made with pantry staples and foods with a longer shelf life.
It's spring, technically, when nature begins to renew itself. Peas can be sown directly in the ground by now. Yet it's still cold, rainy, and a perfect time to curl up with a warm bowl of hearty soup. In the summer, a thinner, brighter pea soup is refreshing, but for now, let's keep it comfortable!
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, washed and chopped (or more onion)
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp. liquid smoke (or a poblano pepper)
1 tsp. salt
1 carrot, chopped
2/3 cup dried split peas
1 medium potato, chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
1 cup frozen peas
pepper to taste
Combine first 6 ingredients in a pot over medium-low heat, cooking until onions & leeks are soft.
Add split peas, potato, vegetable stock and 2 cups of the water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1-2 hours, until split peas are softened.
Add frozen peas, remaining 1 cup water, and fresh black pepper to taste. Cook 10 more minutes.
Turn off heat. Blend until creamy but lumpy using an immersion blender or food processor, or a few seconds in a blender or Vitamix.
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