Yellow Split Pea Soup

I have made a decision, baby, and I want to tell you about it before I change my mind, because if I write it down then it's real.

I am going to retire from Hodge Elementary at the end of next school year. March 2020. Thirty-five years in that kitchen. Thirty-five years of four hundred lunches a day, of feeding children who needed feeding, of hiding vegetables in spaghetti sauce and saving extra fruit for the hungry ones. Thirty-five years is enough. It has to be enough, because my body is telling me it is, and my heart is telling me it is, and Earl is not here to argue with me about it, which means I have to argue with myself.

I told Denise first. She cried, which surprised me, because Denise is not a crier. She said, "Mama, you've earned it." I said, "I haven't earned anything. I've just done my job." She said, "Your job saved people." And I didn't know what to say to that because I don't think of it as saving. I think of it as feeding. But maybe they're the same thing.

I told Mrs. Patterson, who said, "Dot, we are going to give you the retirement party to end all retirement parties." I said, "You don't need to make a fuss." She said, "Dot Henderson, you have made a fuss over four hundred children a day for thirty-three years. We are making a fuss over you whether you like it or not." I like her. I've always liked her. She has the kind of authority that comes from caring too much, which is the only kind of authority worth having.

I haven't told Kayla yet. Or Earl Jr. Or Patricia. I'll tell them when I'm ready, which is not the same as when they're ready. Some announcements need time to settle in the announcer before they can be released into the world.

Made red beans and rice tonight. Monday tradition. The beans simmer all day and the house smells like home and the tradition doesn't care that Earl isn't here to eat it — the tradition continues because traditions must, because if you stop doing the things you've always done, then the grief wins. The grief doesn't get to win. Not in my kitchen.

Now go on and feed somebody.

Red beans were Earl’s, and they’ll always be Earl’s — but a pot that simmers all day while the house fills up with something warm and good, that belongs to anybody who needs it. This yellow split pea soup is what I reach for when I need a Monday that holds together, when I need proof that the kitchen is still mine and the tradition is still standing. You put it on in the morning and by evening it has done the work for you, which is all you can ask of anything on a day when the grief is sitting in the corner being quiet but present. Let it cook. Go on about your business. Come back and feed somebody.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 45 min | Total Time: 2 hrs | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb yellow split peas, rinsed and picked over
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 smoked ham hock (or 1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham)
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

Sweat the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add peas and liquid. Stir in the rinsed split peas, chicken broth, and water. Nestle in the ham hock (or stir in the diced ham). Add the thyme, smoked paprika, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Simmer low and slow. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and let the soup simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring every 20–30 minutes, until the peas have broken down completely and the soup is thick and creamy. If it thickens too much, add water 1/4 cup at a time.
Finish the ham. If using a ham hock, remove it from the pot, pull the meat from the bone, shred it into bite-sized pieces, and return the meat to the soup. Discard the bone, skin, and bay leaf.
Season and serve. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread or cornbread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Yellow Split Pea Soup — Let It Simmer, Let the Tradition Hold