2 weeks Ago
The most cheering words you can hear when you are speaking on the phone to someone you are about to visit are these: “I’m making pea soup today.” Thus did my cousin Susan Cragin lift my heart as I drove north to Concord, N.H.
, where it was just as beastly freezing as it was in North Central Mass. When we arrived, the pea soup (or “soupe aux pois cassés” if you speak Parisian French; “soupe aux poix à memere” in French Canadian) was bubbling nicely, and we sat right down, and ate our fill. The soup was delicious and very warming, especially with a slice of buttered bread.
As we had second bowls, the outside temps plummeted further. This caused the furnace beneath our feet to grumble, but continue to pump warmth upward. Over the furnace’s vocalizing, I asked Susan where the recipe came from.
“No recipe,” she replied. “I made it up. Years ago, I read a few of the package backs and said ‘there’s nothing to this, you add this and that and the other thing.
’” Her first version was “a little bland. So I suppose I “Italian-ed” it up a little bit, by adding cut onion, parsley and oregano, along with the ham. But I have seen recipes where it’s just peas, water, salt and pepper.
” Susan reminded me that our Cragin heritage includes a French Canadian great-grandmother, Maria Brownell (which may have been “Brunelle” sometime in the distant past). This fact made the soup taste even more authentic, we all decided. Every Gateway City in New England has a substantial French Canadian population, which dates back many generations.
Susan commented: “When the French came over, they came over as trappers and traders, and typically didn’t bring their wives with them. So there’s a lot of Native American blood in the average French Canadian.” At the time, “the Catholic religion was very accommodating to them, so many were devout Catholics.
” However, once men got married, and started raising families, trapping and hunting wasn’t very sustainable. And so, “that’s when a lot of French Canadians came down to find work in the United States.” 2 packages split yellow peas 1⁄4 cup olive oil 1 1⁄4 cup diced ham 1 large Vidalia onion or 2 small ones diced 4 Tablespoons parsley 1 Tablespoon oregano salt and pepper Sock the packages of split yellow peas for 3 hours or overnight.
In a crock pot, add enough water to cover the beans, plus 2 inches. Add the olive oil, diced ham, onion, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir every 20 minutes, and let it cook for 3 hours on high heat.
Serves 8 with a side of warm baguette with butter If the soup needs thickening at the end, add 1⁄2 cup cooked rice or a diced potato. Also, the tastier the ham, the better the soup. Try not to get ham that’s too bland.
Adjust your salt depending on your ham. Susan’s husband Mark Ungewitter suggests (à la Marie Antoinette) that if you don’t have butter for your baguette “try a little room-temperature Brie on the bread.” He also suggests that if cooking is too much trouble “just buy a couple cans of Habitant Pea Soup.
” One of the more delightful pages I follow on Facebook is “The Pipsqueakery,” by Alex Hernley. This animal rescue is a nonprofit based in Bloomington, Indiana that cares for dizzying numbers of small animals and wildlife. According to Hernley, guests include: “mice, hamsters, rats, squirrels (captive bred and permitted only), guinea pigs, degus, chinchillas, rabbits, gerbils, capybaras, Patagonian cavies, prairie dogs, groundhogs, ducks (because why not ducks), one hedgehog and probably a few others that I’m forgetting because I’m constantly sleep deprived.
” Yes, groundhogs. Hernley has rehabilitated her share of these furry weathercasters through the years and explains that these rotund and adorable mammals “are primarily herbivores and in the wild will forage for a lot of fruit, nuts, berries, and various wild greens.” Therefore, for those who do not have a valentine for Valentine’s Day, nor a groundhog for Groundhog Day, I would like to nominate a new holiday dish to celebrate this period of the year: Groundhog Day salad.
Perfect for every person (or groundhog), start by ripping up a cup of spinach, and add sliced strawberries, almonds, and chunks of orange. Best when eaten on Feb. 2, but good anytime.
Especially if you are a groundhog. Visit ThePipsqueakery.org for amazing photos and stories of “A rescue & sanctuary for all small animals – no matter their needs.
” Sally Cragin would love to read your family recipes and stories. Write to: [email protected].
