Split Pea Soup with Sun-Dried Tomato Flatbread

Last night I made split pea soup with sun-dried tomato flatbread, it was simple and delicious.  Next time I am going to make the flatbread without the whole-wheat flour because the flatbread was a little bit dry... that said, in crumbled up in the soup gave it a great texture.

I could eat soup every night for dinner once it's cold out and gets dark at 5:30pm... it's cozy, warming filling and inexpensive...

Recipe: Split Pea Soup (adapted from the Mayo Clinic Cookbook)


2 cups green or yellow dried split peas
3 Tablespoons EVOO
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, minced
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
6 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Place the split peas in a strainer and rinse under cold running water.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil.  Add the celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and pepper.  Saute until veggies are wilted, 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the split peas, broth, bay leaf, thyme and cloves.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally until the soup is thick and the peas are mushy about 1 hour.  If the soup seems too thick, stir in 1/4 cup additional water.  Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Flatbread (adapted from Mayo Clinic)

Instructions:
2 cups boiling water
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (not oil packed)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoon honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 egg  + 1 egg white
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a large, heavy baking sheet with non-stick cooking oil.

In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the tomatoes.  Let stand until the tomatoes are slightly soft, 2-3 minutes.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels and chop the tomatoes finely.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt baking powder, and cayenne.  Add the egg, the egg white, honey and thyme and stir vigorously to combine.  The dough will be very stiff.  Add the walnuts and chopped tomatoes and work them into the dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times.  Pat and roll into a 10-inch square about 1/4 inch thick.  Wth a sharp knife, cut the dough crosswise and lengthwise into quarters and place the pieces at least 1 inch apart on the prepared sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes.  Turn over and bake until dry and lightly browned, 5-10 minutes longer.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.