Winter Pea Soup (Yellow)

Ingredients

• 1 quart split peas
• 2 lb shin of beef
• trimmings of meat or poultry
• 1 slice bacon
• 2 large carrots
• 2 turnips
• 5 large onions
• 1 head celery
• 2 quarts soft water
• bones from roast meat
• 2 quarts common stock or liquor from boiled meat
• seasoning
• toasted bread

Method

Soak the split peas overnight in soft water. In the morning, skim off any floaters — these are damaged or poorly developed seeds that won't break down cleanly. Drain and rinse. Bring fresh soft water to a boil, add the peas, and simmer until they collapse into a near-pulp when pressed against the side of the pot, roughly 45 minutes to an hour. You're aiming for complete disintegration; undercooked peas will leave grittiness even after sieving.

While the peas cook, blanch the shin of beef, meat trimmings, and bones in separate boiling water for two minutes, then drain and rinse under cold water. This removes the blood and albumin that cloud the final stock and muddy the flavour. Add the blanched meat and bones to the cooked peas along with the bacon, carrots, turnips, onions, and celery, then pour in the common stock. Bring to a simmer and hold it there for two hours. The long, gentle heat breaks down the collagen in the shin into gelatin, which thickens the soup and gives it body; the vegetables dissolve into the liquid, thickening it further through their natural pectin. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking at the base.

Pass the entire contents through a sieve, pressing the solids firmly to extract every ounce of flavoured pulp and liquid. What remains in the sieve is discarded — fibrous vegetable matter and rendered meat that's given everything it has. Skim the surface of the strained soup with a ladle or clean cloth to remove the layer of fat and sediment. Taste and season with salt and white pepper. The pale, creamy colour comes from the blanching step and the emulsified fat; over-vigorous boiling or a skipped blanch will produce a murky, grey result.

Toast bread until dry and golden, then cut into dice. Serve the soup hot in deep bowls, scattered with croutons just before plating so they retain their crispness and don't absorb moisture and turn to paste.