Waldorf Salad with Split Peas (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

“Pease porridge hot, Pease porridge cold, Pease porridge in the pot. Nine days old.” — Traditional English nursery rhyme.

We’re past Election Day and looking ahead to Thanksgiving. Chilly, cloudy, wet, dreary November days are here.

When days grow dark and the weather turns chilly, you crave something warm, hearty and comforting. Split pea soup fits the bill. Almost every European country has a version of this popular soup. The second week of November has celebrated this nutritious, creamy soup since 1969, though I haven’t been able to find out how this commemoration began.

Split peas are a nutrient-rich, common legume. With a whopping 16 grams of protein in each cup, they’re one of the best vegetable sources of protein. Both green and yellow dried peas provide a heart-healthy helping of soluble fiber. They’re also rich in folic acid, thiamine, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Legumes like peas can help lower blood glucose and manage diabetes. Diets high in fiber can help you lose weight and help prevent some chronic diseases.

Just what are these little discs? Split peas are field peas, Pisum Sativum, grown for drying rather than eating fresh. There are two types: green and yellow. Green peas are sweeter, while yellow peas are starchy. The green ones are the same variety as the tender English green pea.

Fresh peas are dried and then the outer skin is removed. The peas are split along the natural split in the seed’s cotyledon or embryonic leaf, for quicker cooking. This can be done by hand or by machine.

Peas were one of man’s first cultivated crops. They have been eaten since prehistoric times in Iraq, China, Egypt and Switzerland. On the border between Thailand and Burma is Spirit Cave, where archaeologists carbon-dated peas to between 9000 and 6000 B.C. Throughout recorded history, pea soup has been one of the most common soups served around the world. It is mentioned in Aristophanes’ comedy, The Birds and the Roman chef Apicius recorded a recipe for pea soup. Today, almost every European country has a national variant of this dish.

Pease Porridge or Pease Pudding are two British dishes that predate split-pea soup. This simple 14th-century dish was made with cooked split peas, herbs and spices. Those who were able added ham or bacon and carrots or onions. It was a paste, pate or hummus-type consistency that could be easily spread on bread or served hot, like a thick soup.

The simplest Split Pea Soup is just that — a more liquid version of the pudding. It calls for ham, split peas, onions, carrots, herbs and spices. When the peas cook, they become mushy, so blending is optional. This simple, easy dish can be spiffed up in many ways.

Vary your soup with different herbs and seasonings or a variety of vegetables. Add greens, like kale or Swiss chard. Add winter squash. Make it vegetarian or vegan. Add ham or bacon for a smoky flavor.

Top your soup with potatoes, chives and sour cream; or chopped apples and walnuts; cooked crumbled sausage, ham or bacon; sauerkraut; mustard; fresh herbs like dill, parsley or sage — your imagination is the key!

Beyond soup, you can use split peas in many other creative dishes. Make a hummus-type dip or spread. Cook them into patties or pancakes for a snack, lunch or breakfast. Serve them as a vegetable with sauteed onions, mushrooms and greens.

On chilly November days, warm up with a steaming bowl of split pea soup!

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To cook split peas:

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Ingredients:

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2/3 cup split peas

1 1/4 cup liquid – broth (vegetable, bone or meat), water, apple cider, etc.

A little salt and pepper (to your taste) — can omit if using broth which already has salt

Bay leaf (optional, for flavor)

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Directions:

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Rinse the peas in a fine-mesh sieve or strainer; look for debris or small stones and pick them out.

Place in a saucepan. Pour in cooking liquid and add seasonings.

Bring to a boil. Stir. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat, remove bay leaf if using and season to taste.

Peas cooked this way should still be firm, but tender. For mushier peas (for soup or for a paste, like hummus), add more liquid and cook a little longer.

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Waldorf Salad with Split Peas

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Ingredients:

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2/3 cup split peas, cooked according to directions above

2 apples

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 or 2 cups sliced celery

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1/2 to 1 cup green parts of scallions

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise, or more, to taste

2 Tablespoons plain yogurt, or to taste

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Directions:

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Cook split peas according to the above directions. Set aside.

Core and chop the apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning and place in a salad bowl.

Slice celery, parsley and scallions; stir into the apples. Stir in the Cheddar cheese and prepared split peas.

Fold in mayonnaise and yogurt.

Taste and adjust seasonings to your taste.

Makes one large bowl — about 6 or 8 servings.

Option: garnish with toasted walnuts.

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Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Greens

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Ingredients:

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2 or 3 strips of bacon

1 onion

2 stalks of celery

1 or 2 carrots

About 1 or 2 cups of cabbage (I used red cause that’s what I needed to use up)

1 cup split peas

3 sweet potatoes

Broth and/or water (chicken, vegetable, bone, whatever you’ve got)

2 bay leaves

A few allspice berries, a few peppercorns

Salt & pepper

Herbs: marjoram, sage, thyme — whatever you’ve got that suits you

Greens (I used Swiss chard)

Fresh minced parsley

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Directions:

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In the bottom of a 3-quart soup kettle, over low heat, render the bacon to release fat.

Peel and chop the onion, and add. Slice celery and carrots, and add. Chop cabbage, and add. Cook on low 5 minutes or so, then add peas, cut-up sweet potatoes, liquid (broth or water) and bay leaves. Simmer 30 minutes; taste, add herbs, adjust seasonings. Simmer a little longer (20 to 30 minutes) until everything is very soft. Add Swiss chard and parsley and cook 10 minutes longer.

Taste, adjust seasonings. Remove bay leaves (if you can find them).

You can mash with a potato masher or blend (an immersion blender works well) for a creamier, more uniform consistency. Or, leave it chunky.

Makes about 10 1-cup servings.

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Author of the award-winning cookbook “Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market,” Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: cooking and writing. She can be reached at writeyvona@gmail.com, at her website www.yvonafast.com or on Facebook at Author Yvona Fast.