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Quick Pea Soup with Smoked Meats
Instructions
Wash the raw potatoes, peel them, and cut them into small cubes for proper finished portioning.
Place the potatoes in a pot with cold water, add the green tops tied with thread. Bring to a boil, cook the potatoes at a moderate boil until ready (15-20 minutes) for proper foundation broth.
For the vegetable dressing, finely chop the onion, and grate the carrot on a large grater for proper finished aromatic distribution.
First, saute the chopped onion in heated vegetable oil until translucent for proper aromatic foundation.
Add the grated carrot to the onion, continue to saute the vegetables until slightly browned for proper finished saute character.
In the boiling broth with the cooked potatoes, add the smoked meats, bring to a boil, and cook covered for 3-5 minutes for proper smoky character infusion.
The pea flakes do not need to be rinsed before adding to the soup. Add the flakes to the pot with the soup, bring to a boil, and gently skim off the foam from the surface. Cook for 10-15 minutes until ready.
Before seasoning the soup, remove the smoked meats and the bunch of green tops. Take the meat off the smoked ingredients, which you will add to the soup when serving. Put the sauteed vegetables into the soup, let it simmer for a few minutes.
Finely chop the greens, use any you like for proper finished aromatic touches.
Season the soup by adding the '10 vegetables' spice mix, salt, and spices as per the recipe. Add the chopped greens to the soup, let it simmer for 2 minutes with the lid off (this will keep the greens brighter). Remove the finished dish from the heat, let it infuse and absorb the aroma under the closed lid for 10 minutes. Optionally, add a bay leaf, which you should remove after infusing the soup.
Pour the finished soup into serving bowls, adding pieces of smoked meat to each. Croutons go perfectly with pea soup. Saute a few slices of white bread cut into cubes with a spoon of vegetable oil. Sprinkle the croutons over the soup or serve them in a separate bowl. Enjoy your meal!
Tips
- 1
Use pea flakes (split peas processed into flakes) rather than whole dried peas for the proper quick-cooking character. Whole peas require overnight soaking and 1-2 hours cooking time; pea flakes cook in 10-15 minutes producing identical finished flavor results in a fraction of the time. The flake-vs-whole choice matters significantly for finished cooking time consistency across batches and various preparation occasions throughout the year for proper time-conscious home cooking results worth showcasing reliably.
- 2
Add the smoked meats during cooking for the deepest finished smoky flavor infusion. Adding only at serving produces flat results with smoke flavor concentrated only in the meat pieces; cooking the smoked meats in the broth infuses the proper smoky character throughout the entire soup. The same simmer-the-smoke principle elevates many soup preparations including solanka with potatoes and sausage without olives and similar smoked-meat soup preparations across various Russian cooking traditions throughout the year.
- 3
Let the soup rest 10 minutes after cooking for proper finished flavor integration. Rushed serving produces disconnected flavor notes; properly rested soup shows beautifully integrated character with proper depth and balance throughout. The rest matters significantly for finished soup quality consistently across batches and various pea-soup preparations throughout the year for proper restaurant-style results worth showcasing at family meal occasions reliably across various entertaining occasions consistently across various seasonal preparations.
- 4
Serve hot with traditional Russian-style accompaniments for proper presentation. Cooled soup loses the warming character that defines proper preparation; hot-from-the-pot soup shows full aromatic character at peak quality. Pair the hot soup with crusty homemade bread for traditional Russian lunch spreads, alongside garlic croutons for textural contrast, or with creamy processed cheese dollops for traditional Soviet-era presentations worth showcasing.
FAQ
Can I use whole dried peas instead? +
Yes, but cooking time increases dramatically. Soak whole dried peas overnight in cold water, then cook for 1-1.5 hours until fully soft before adding the smoked meats and remaining ingredients. Each option produces distinct character: pea flakes are quick and convenient, whole peas are most traditional and substantial. Choose based on time constraints and preference for proper finished pea-soup results across various preparation occasions throughout the year for proper finished personalized results.
What other smoked meats work? +
Smoked pork ribs, smoked ham hocks, smoked sausage (kielbasa), smoked turkey legs, or even smoked fish all work beautifully as alternatives. Each meat produces distinct character: pork ribs are most substantial, ham hocks are most traditional German-style, kielbasa is most universally appealing, smoked turkey is leanest. Mix multiple smoked meats for layered complex finished flavor profiles authentic to traditional Russian solyanka-style soup preparations throughout the year reliably.
How long does the soup keep? +
Stored covered in the refrigerator, the soup keeps for 4-5 days at peak quality. The flavor improves significantly overnight as components meld together beautifully throughout the resting period. The soup freezes well for up to 2 months in airtight containers; thaw overnight in refrigerator before reheating gently on stovetop for proper restored quality across multiple servings throughout the month for proper finished results consistently across various busy weeks ahead.
Can I make this vegetarian? +
Yes, simply omit the smoked meats and add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke or smoked paprika for proper smoky character. Vegetable broth replaces the chicken broth for fully vegetarian preparation. Each version produces distinct character: traditional with-meat is most substantial Russian-style, vegetarian is most diet-friendly inclusive. Adjust seasoning to compensate for the meat-flavor loss for proper finished vegetarian-soup results across various dietary applications throughout the year for proper personalized finished results.
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