A silky smooth soup for chilly evenings.

I had this recipe in my ancient, hand-written cookbook under the name of “Fava”, but a little research has shown that that particular dish from the island of Santorini is actually a purée typically eaten with bread… This recipe uses pretty much the same ingredients, but has a lot more liquid to make it a soup, hence the name.

Either way, it’s a warming winter meal that is rich in flavour, incredibly silky in texture and will leave you feeling satisfied.

The leftovers freeze well, too!

Serves: 6 – 8
Preparation: about 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

500g (about 1 pound) yellow split peas
2 litres (2 quarts) vegetable stock
2 large red onions
2 medium carrots
2 large stalks celery
120ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried mint
2 bay leaves
freshly ground black pepper
salt

For serving

1 small red onion
lemon wedges
olive oil

Directions

Rinse the split peas well under cold running water, then add to a large soup pot along with the vegetable stock.

Cover, bring to a slow boil and cook for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Dice the onions, carrots and celery, and add to the pot along with the olive oil, oregano, marjoram, mint, bay leaves and plenty of pepper.

Cover and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently.

Remove the bay leaves and use an immersion blender to make it smooth.

Season with salt and serve, topped with some finely sliced onion, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.