Photography by Hudi Greenberger

Split Pea Soup with Pastrami Cubes

I love hot chicken soup with a kneidel on a cold Friday night, but for Shushan Purim I wanted to do something different. I prepare this recipe in my restaurant sometimes as the soup of the day. To be honest, it takes some time to prepare, some pots to wash, and a kitchen to clean, but it can be prepared in advance, frozen, and heated up before serving. Come try it for yourselves!

YIELDS 6 PINTS, ABOUT 15 PORTIONS

• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 1½ cups green split peas
• 17 cups water, divided
• ½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, diced (Optional)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp coriander
• 1 1-lb (450-g) chunk navel pastrami, diced

You’ll need two pots to start this soup, one to cook the split peas and the soup, and one for the base.

Start by rinsing your split peas. Add to a large pot with 14 cups water, bring to a boil, and let simmer for around 1½ hours, keeping the pot almost fully covered. Stir the peas every few minutes.

Meanwhile, heat ½ cup olive oil in a separate pot. Add the diced vegetables and sauté for half an hour. Add salt, coriander, and remaining 3 cups water. Let simmer until all the vegetables are nice and soft. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender until nice and smooth.

Transfer the mixture to your large pot with the water and dissolved split peas. Bring to a low simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Place the diced pastrami on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Place in oven and roast for 12–15 minutes to get a nice crisp. Serve and enjoy!

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 732)