My friends Nina and Kendra were over one evening when I prepared this soup. It is my mother-in-law Perla’s twist on split pea soup. As she hails from Israel with family from Turkey originally, the Middle East will be felt in this one.

8 oz yellow split peas (half of a 16 oz bag)

1 can of either white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed

3-4 carrots diced very small (about a heaping cup when chopped)

3-4 stalks celery diced very small (heaping cup when chopped)

1 large onion, diced small

6-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth – you can also use water and Better than Bouillon soup base.

2 bay leaves

black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

olive oil

1/2 lemon

chopped cilantro

1) Rinse the split peas and place them in a large stock pot. Add 4 cups stock or water (you will add bouillon later if using water), bay leaves and a couple tbsp of oil. Bring to a boil, cover loosely and simmer for 30 minutes. These can get rather foamy, so watch out! If they do, stir it, add a bit of oil and reduce the heat some.

2) Add diced vegetables, rinsed beans and remaining 2-4 cups of water, depending on desired thickness. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the split peas have “broken down” into what looks like a puree. At this point, add the bouillon (2-3 tsp) if needed and cumin, stir to combine and taste to check consistency and flavor. You may need to add more stock/water/bouillon, but I like mine pretty thick! allow to simmer until ready to serve.

3) Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped cilantro and a good dose of black pepper