Yellow Split Pea Soup with Potatoes and Carrots with homemade vegetable stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Ahead of time, rinse the legumes in a colander until the water runs clear. No need to soak.

   Colander

   💡Split peas and small lentils don't need soaking; dried beans do, otherwise they cook for hours and stay hard inside.
2. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

   StovePot
3. 3
   Add the onion, celery and carrot and fry 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

   💡Garlic burns fast and turns bitter. Add it only once the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells.

To assemble

1. 5
   Sprinkle in the turmeric and cumin and stir for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant.
2. 6
   Put the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, garlic, bay leaves and thyme in a large pot with the cold water.

   Large pot

   💡Start with cold water: the vegetables release their flavor slowly as the water heats up.
3. 7
   Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off the foam.

   Stove
4. 8
   Turn down to medium-low heat and simmer uncovered 30–45 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
5. 9
   Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

   Fine sieve
6. 10
   Add the legumes, stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam with a spoon.

   Stove
7. 11
   Turn down the heat and simmer with the lid slightly open 45 minutes, until the legumes is tender.

   Stove
8. 12
   Add the potatoes and cook 25 up to 30 more minutes, until the grains break down completely and thicken the soup, and the potatoes are tender but hold their shape.

   Stove
9. 13
   Remove the bay leaves.
10. 14
    Season with salt and black pepper and the lemon juice, taste and adjust.

    💡The lemon goes in at the end: acid at the start of cooking slows down the softening of the legumes. Adjust the salt at the end, after the soup has reduced.
11. 15
    If the soup is too thick, thin it in a cup of boiling water.
12. 16
    Sprinkle the parsley on top.
13. 17
    Serve hot with a slice of country bread on the side.