Like pea soup ...
Mood:  rushed
Now Playing: ...Love pea soup.
Topic: Cooking
Forget about the Exorcist; split pea soup is anything but scary. Simple, frugal and rib-stickingly good, yes. Gross, never. There is little better on a cold October night when the spooks are looming.

I started mine today with a soffritto of onion, carrot, celery and garlic that softened in warm olive oil. Then I added about half a bag or so of split peas, stirred, added bay leaf, small handful of thyme sprigs, two small smoked pig hocks, lots of water, simmered for a very long time.

Later added diced red potato (1) to thicken, later still 1/3 of a cabbage, diced (which I don't usually include but hey it was there and available, begging to be used), seasoned and simmered more.

Last thing: lots of diced old Bronx bread (as in Arthur Avenue, one of New York's finest old Italian neighborhoods) sauteed with butter and olive oil in my biggest cast iron skillet. When crispy, heat off, and in went minced parsley and lots of crushed garlic to toss as the cubes cooled.

Sprinkled croutons liberally over deep shallow bowl of soup. Man oh man. Thick. Good. Pea-y.

Happy Halloween.