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Peas and Carrots, Peas and Carrots

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Carrot Soup
Peas and carrots, peas and carrots, as a child they were the bane of my existence. I tried EVERYTHING to avoid eating these horrendous vegetables!

These days, I eat carrots raw and enjoy peas too.

Peas are a funny thing. I wouldn’t even buy them until my son came into the picture!

Then, of course, you HAVE to feed your kid a whole variety of foods. CK loved peas!

Do you know how long lunch and dinner lasts when each pea is eaten individually by a toddler? FOREVER! The daycare women thought it was hilarious, give him a pile of peas and he’d go to town. I on the other hand, not so amused.

Carrots, were the hardest to love. It took a trip to Paris for me to give them another try. I was in Paris with my brother, sister-in-law and niece, who was 3 or 4. Out to dinner, prix fixe menu, Carrot soup was one of the courses.

Trying to set an example, I felt obligated to eat what was served.

Wow, was a glad I did! Delicious!

Later in the trip while ordering by finger-pointing at a plate, my brother had to save me from the liver I ordered after choking down the first bite with tears streaming down my face. Another time.

Yes, fresh peas and dried split peas are two different animals. I have yet to find a fresh pea soup recipe.

These recipes are for the instant pot but both can easily be made on the stove top. Just simmer until veggies are soft.

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Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 Onion chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 2 stals Celery chopped
  • 1 inch Fresh Ginger minced
  • 1 lb Carrots chopped
  • 4 cups Chicken stock
  • 1 can Coconut Milk
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Fresh grated Nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup Cilantro Chopped

Instructions

  • Chop all vegetables.  When chopping garlic, if you sprinkle the salt on top of the cloves, before mincing, it absorbs the garlic juice and keeps it from sticking to the knife.
    Heat instant pot on high saute until "hot".
    Add butter, onions celery and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes, add ginger and carrots and saute 1 minute.  Cancel saute, add chicken stock.
    Set to high pressure for 8 minutes.  Natural release for 8 minutes.
    Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.
    Add coconut milk stir to blend.  Add a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper.  (It will round out the flavor and not really add any heat.)
    Grate nutmeg into soup.  I usually grate about a 1/4 to 1/3 third of a whole nutmeg.  Taste.  Adjust seasoning.   Garnish with chopped cilantro. 
    Carrot soup ingredients

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Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 Onion chopped
  • 2 stalks Celery chopped
  • 2 Carrots chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 2 Ham hocks
  • 1 lb Dried Split Peas rinsed and picked thru
  • 6 cups Chicken Stock
  • fresh ground pepper

Instructions

  • Chop all vegetables.  Mince the garlic with the salt,  Heat instant pot on high saute until "hot".  Add oil and onions, celery, carrots and garlic.  Saute for 3-4 minutes.
    Cut the skin or fat at couple of locations on the ham hocks, this will make it easier for the flavor to get into the soup.  Add the ham hock, dried split peas and stock. Set to high pressure for 8 minutes.  Natural release for 8 minutes.  Stir.  The peas should have softened and thickened the stock.  Remove ham hocks,  Pick the ham from the bone and chop if necessary.  Add meat back to soup.  Taste and add fresh ground pepper.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.