Something Different 
Week of: March 15, 2010
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Contact: Alice Bender, (202) 328-7744

A Gloriously Green St. Patrick’s Day Soup

By Dana Jacobi 
for the American Institute for Cancer Research

Saint Patrick’s Day, for food writers, means finding yet another way to write about cabbage, soda bread, colcannon – a buttery mash-up of potatoes and kale – or another of Ireland’s stereotypical dishes. This year, though, while participating in the wearin’ o’ the green, I suggest you share in the eaten’ of it by making split pea soup.

As filling as a bowl of mashed potatoes, this soup provides healthy complex carbs and a hefty 14 grams of fiber. Making it is simple. Taking off on the eternal joke told at the pub, a leek, an onion and a rib of celery go into a pot…

Add the split peas and broth to the pot and in 30-40 minutes, you will have lovely, green soup. Served with a slice of whole-grain bread topped with some Irish cheddar, you have a rustic meal that is truly Irish.

For color more intense than the green of a shamrock, I like garnishing with a dollop of pesto. The flavors go beautifully with the soup, and the spinach combined with the basil makes it as hearty as the soup. And with the price of pine nuts approaching that of emeralds, I substitute raw cashews, which make the pesto just as creamy. This pesto, which stays vibrantly green for a week or more, is also excellent stirred into brown rice, or scrambled with eggs.

Split Pea Soup with Winter Pesto

Soup

  • 1 cup dried green split peas
  • 1 (32 oz.) container fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 large celery rib, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped, including white and 2-inches pale green part
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • Salt and ground black pepper

Pesto

  • 2 lightly packed cups fresh basil leaves
  • 2 packed cups baby spinach leaves
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 3 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp. fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • Salt and ground black pepper

For soup, place in small Dutch oven or large, heavy saucepan, split peas, broth, celery, leek and onions. Bring liquid to boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and simmer soup, covered, until peas and vegetables are very soft, about 30-40 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on how old the peas are. Stir hot soup vigorously with a wooden spoon until it is pulpy. Or, if you prefer smooth soup, puree using an immersion mixer or in blender, taking care with hot liquid. (Using the blender may require pureeing the soup in two batches.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For pesto, place basil, spinach and garlic in food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add cashews and cheese, and pulse until greens are finely chopped and flecked with the nuts and cheese. With motor running, pour in broth. The pesto makes about 2/3 cup and should be dense, nubbly and moist. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tightly covered, the pesto keeps for 1 week in refrigerator, or freeze for up to 8 weeks.

Divide the hot soup among 4 wide, shallow soup bowls. Dollop 1 or 2 tablespoons pesto in center of bowl, and serve.

Makes 4 servings (Soup) Per serving: 200 calories, 0.5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat), 36 g carbohydrate, 
14 g protein 14 g dietary fiber, 520 mg sodium

Pesto (Per 1 1/2 tbsp serving): 50 calories, 3 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 3 g carbohydrate, 
3 g protein 1 g dietary fiber, 75 mg sodium

Something Different is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.

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The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight management to cancer risk, interprets the scientific literature and educates the public about the results. It has contributed more than $91 million for innovative research conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers across the country. AICR has published two landmark reports that interpret the accumulated research in the field, and is committed to a process of continuous review. AICR also provides a wide range of educational programs to help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. Its award-winning New American Plate program is presented in brochures, seminars and on its website, www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.