Canadian pea soup made from dried green peas is a British thing. Quebeckers prefer the yellow variety. Made from dried yellow peas and seasoned with savory is what we call French Canadian Pea Soup. Savory is a European herb its taste is somewhere between mint and thyme. But thyme, marjoram, or sage can also be used in pea soup. I added a bit of Herbs de Provoncale. Provoncale herb is a French mixture that could include basil, fennel, lavender, marjoram or mint, rosemary, savory, sage, and thyme. So it becomes a matter of taste seasoning Canadian pea soup. What we all seem to agree on is that pea soup should always be served the day after it’s made.
CANADIAN PEA SOUP
1/3 cup dried green peas
100 g salt pork or meaty ham bone
5-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 medium onions
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dry savory
1 pinch of Herbs de Provencale
1 pinch of thyme
pepper
• Soak the peas overnight and drain.
• Place all ingredients into a medium sized pot.
• Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.
• Bring to a boil again.
• Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or longer until peas are tender.
• Let the soup cool.
• Remove the ham bone and the bay leaves.
• Cut the lean bits off the bone and chop them into tiny pieces.
• With a slotted spoon remove the carrots and chop these too.
• With a potato-masher coarsely mash the peas. [Do not blend smooth]
• Test for salt. Depending on the ham bone used, you may not need to add salt.
• Add the finely chopped ham and the carrots back to the soup.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator for the night.
• Reheat the following day and serve with a crusty bun or slice of rustic bread.
