Split pea and root vegetable soup

Ingredients

• Dried split peas (dry)180g
• Carrots (raw)200g
• Potatoes (raw)200g
• Onions (raw)100g
• Garlic (raw)8g
• Plain bread (cooked)160g
• Recipe water (raw)1000ml
• Olive oil (raw)15ml
• Salt (dry)3g
• Black pepper (dry)1g

Method

1. Sort and rinse 180g dried split peas, discarding stones or damaged peas. Cut 200g carrots and 200g potatoes into 1cm cubes, dice 100g onions 5mm and mince 8g garlic. Heat 15ml olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and soften onion and carrot for 5 minutes; stir garlic for 30 seconds.
2. Add split peas, potatoes and 1000ml recipe water. Bring to a boil, skim foam if needed and reduce to a gentle simmer. Partly cover and cook for 45–60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until peas crush completely and potato centres are tender. Older peas may need longer; add hot processing water to keep them submerged.
3. Add 3g salt and 1g black pepper. Stir firmly to break down some peas and thicken the soup, leaving vegetable pieces intact. If it catches, lower the heat and stir more often; if it becomes stiff, add and record hot processing water.
4. Serve with 160g plain bread. The soup thickens as it stands, so loosen with hot processing water when reheating a prepared portion. Freeze late-week portions promptly on preparation day.
5. The displayed quantities already match your selected servings. For 1 serving use a small covered pot and check liquid early; for 2 use the stated method. For 4 or 8 use the planned pot-capacity batches and divide every ingredient proportionally. Keep each pot below 80% full. Maintain a gentle simmer and judge each batch by texture, not by multiplying the cooking time. Serve promptly. Cool any extra cooked food in shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours, or one hour above 32°C. Keep the fridge at 4°C or below. Reheat cooked leftovers evenly to 74°C, checking several places with a food thermometer. Keep raw garnishes and cold yogurt or tahini sauces separate and use them cold within their label limits.