As any Californian knows, road trips are associated with provision stops. We are lucky to have local farm stands around each bend in the road, for apples, pears, berries, walnuts, pistachios, avocados, tomatoes, grass fed beef jerky, wild salmon, goat cheese, and Wine.
And of course Ikeda’s Pies!!!!
When traveling to San Diego earlier this year, we brought an Ikeda’s blueberry cobbler, because what good Northern Cali girl wouldn’t bring her Southern Cali family a traditional road trip gift?
It’d been a few years since I did the I-5 drive south…and I was reminded of one iconic stop that’s been in California since 1924, Andersen’s Split Pea in Santa Nella. I love that sign with the bouncy chef, wooden spoon in hand…ready to serve up some split pea soup. Oh, split pea soup, you love it or you hate it, but when it’s light with quality ingredients you can just curl up and reminece with sweet memories.
So with day 3 of pouring rain here in Truckee, I decided to pay my tribute to split pea soup with Hole in One Ranch fresh pork hock, organic split peas, and smoky paprika. Pork hock is a great staple to keep in your freezer for rainy or snowy days in the mountains, cooked up with split peas or great northern beans make for soulful comfort classics.
Please remember dear reader, I am not a trained chef. I am a foodie. An amateur picture taker. And a full fledged know it all. Ask my family, they’d agree. Humphf. Must be the eldest child syndrome, mixed with Aquarian roots.
Split Pea Soup
2 Tablespoons Pork fat or olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 2lbs fresh or smoked pastured pork hock
2 cups organic split peas
2 bay leaves
2-3 Tablespoons smoky paprika
2 Tablespoons dry mustard
1 Tablespoon each salt and pepper
8-10 cups of good old Tahoe Tap (water)
2 organic carrots, chopped
Heat up a cast iron skillet, drop in oil.
Add onions and don’t let them burn, let them sauté till translucent.
Add garlic, bay leaf and seasonings and sauté for a minute.
Next, place you pastured pork hock in cast iron skillet and add split peas and water and give it a stir.
Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer. I let it simmer for 4 hours. If you’re not having a lazy Sunday and want to get outside, places all ingredients in your crock pot, after you sauté onions and put crock pot on high for 4 hours. Give a stir every now and then.
Once your soup has simmered for 4 hours, remove skin and meat from hock bone. (Fido would love to chew on that bone after his long hike in the Sierras.)
Chop meat and return to pot, and add your chopped carrots too. Stir it up and let simmer another 30 minutes.
Set the table and you’re ready for your hearty soup. I hope it reminds you of road trips past too.
Enjoy!
Grass Fed Beef Truckee 