Split Pea Soup
For many people comfort food encompasses a range of less than healthy, heavy and health hazardous dishes, think macaroni and cheese, bangers and mash, pizza… all of which can ultimately leave one “uncomfortable.”
When it’s a comforting meal that I’m craving, I find myself almost always thinking of soup, like thick bean soups that have been simmered for hours and become creamy, hearty mushroom barley rich with herbs, and velvety root vegetable soups.
On my way home on a wintry January night last week, knowing I had a bowl of this split pea soup ahead of me, brought me comfort. Just the thought of the rich, slightly sweet and buttery texture was reassuring, but eating it truly soothed my soul. The soup instantly warmed me, was easy to digest and above all nourished my body.
I find comfort in knowing that what I am eating is actually doing my body a favor and giving me nourishment I need. I hope this split pea soup brings you comfort this winter.
Amy Chaplin
Amy Chaplin is an Australian living in New York City by way of Amsterdam and London. She grew up in rural New South Wales in a family and community of gourmet vegetarians; cooking and eating meals from her family’s biodynamic garden sparked her passion for fresh ingredients and hand-made food. It can be said that Chaplin’s career as a chef began while making bread with her father and peeling apples for her mother’s crumble. Chaplin’s upbringing also helped inspire her philosophy, that how and what we eat directly affects the world in which we live, as well as our own well-being. To this day the food she cooks features local, organic and plant-based ingredients. After 5 years as executive chef of the world-renowned vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen, Amy now consults, cooks and teaches privately, her clients include Natalie Portman and Anna Devera Smith, among others. Chaplin finds herself dispensing recipes and answering queries about the health benefits of ingredients on a daily basis. This whole foods chef is always happy to share her passion for the natural culinary arts and loves inspiring others to cook and eat well too.