The Golden Soup

Dear Carol of Retired? No one told me! says that today is a National Split Pea Day. Not to be left out of it, I am repeating this simple, yet delicious recipe.

King Midas had a daughter called Marigold, and he loved her more than anything, and he wanted to give her the best, the finest, the fanciest, and the most expensive things in the world. That required lots of gold, and even though he had plenty, there is never a limit to gold fever, is there? Especially if the reason for it is so noble – nothing but the best for a beloved child! Sounds familiar, right?

But Marigold wasn’t interested in Gucci-Pucci and Louboutin shoes. She enjoyed her garden, she wanted to share the beauty of her flowers with her father, and she felt sad when he didn’t have time for her because he was busy counting his gold. Oh, he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold so he wouldn’t have to worry about the price of that Judith Lieber clutch for Marigold!

One day, when he was toiling at his desk, this not-so-sober guy appeared out of nowhere.

“Hey, – he said, – I am Bacchus! How about some wine?”

“You – who? You – what? – said Midas absentmindedly, fingering his calculator.

“Dionysus, man, you know, drink and be merry, and all that… I am one of those, man, from Olympus, whachamacalit…  I can do stuff for you…”

“Do? You’re that Bacchus? That Dionysus?”

“Yeah man, that’s me, now how about that cup of wine?”

“Forget the wine, can you give me the golden touch? Like whatever I touch, should turn to gold?”

“No problem, brother, let’s drink to that!”

Poof! Bacchus disappeared. Poof! Anything King Midas touched, turned to gold. Happy? Not really – we know the story. He sat down to lunch with his daughter, lifted a spoonful of soup to his mouth, and almost lost his teeth as he bit into something hard – gold. He touched a rose Marigold brought him form the garden, and it stiffened and shined. He hugged his daughter  – oh horror! – she turned into a golden statue!

“Bacchus, you drunken nincompoop! Dionysus, or whatever your name, get in here! Look what you did! I want my daughter back even if it costs me all my gold, and my kingdom, and my Gucci loafers!”

“Chill out, man, go take a swim, look at sunshine, spread some happiness around, and all will be fixed.”

And as soon as King Midas plunged into the river, everything he splashed with water turned back into what it was before. He took handfuls of water, ran back into his palace and sprinkled his beloved daughter Marigold. A few drops fell on the golden rose, and both the girl and the rose came back to life.  They finished their meal together, and never had soup tasted so good to the king!

To make the golden soup, we need to soak some golden yellow split peas, then rinse them, add water, and bring to boil. 

Then we add a large grated carrot, squeeze a couple of garlic cloves, mix in a heaping tablespoon of soup powder, and season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. At this point you have two options: you can reduce the heat and keep simmering it stove top, standing over the pot and stirring until it’s done, or you can transfer it to a crock pot or Instant Pot and go do something else. I take the second alternative.

When the soup looks smooth and creamy, you can add some diced tomatoes and cilantro, and entertain your kids with this educational and inspirational video:

If your soup becomes too thick, just go ahead and add some water. Remember, that’s all King Midas had to do  – splash some water around.

Here you have it – a light and delicious soup that looks like molten gold, worth of King Midas! Garnish it with sprigs of any greens you have handy. And if it thickens again by tomorrow, adding some more water will always do the trick.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups dry yellow split peas
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 – 3 garlic cloves, squeezed
• 1 tablespoon soup powder
• A pinch of cinnamon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• Sprigs of greens to garnish

PROCEDURE

• Soak split peas. Rinse, place in 2-quart pot, fill with water, bring to boil.
• Add grated carrot and squeezed garlic, stir.
• Add soup powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir.
• Transfer to crock pot set on low. Alternatively, reduce heat to simmer on stove top and keep stirring until done. Simmer until smooth and creamy.
• Add diced tomatoes and cilantro, stir. Add water if necessary. *Alternatively, place all ingredients into Instant Pot, set on Manual for 30 minutes,
• Serve garnished with sprigs of greens.

Enjoy!