Vegetarian Split Pea Soup (Vegetarische Snert / Erwtensoep)

Today I found myself craving split pea soup, as I usually do around late November.

Last year, I posted a recipe for a meaty split pea soup, but, having decided to try and avoid eating meat, I needed to convert this to a vegetarian recipe.

This served another purpose: if I can somehow convert all my old family recipes to vegetarian recipes, I'll void all my excuses for not going vegetarian.

Also, the myths I posted last year are myths for a reason. Though the enamel soup pot thing is still true - I had my favourite fantastic one this year and I do taste a difference, if only psychologically.

Thus far, my vegetarian split pea soup seems to be turning out quite well - actually, I may like it better than my meaty soup - so here's the recipe. Also, a great thing about this is that it feeds loads of people or feeds a small amount of people for a long while, and shouldn't cost more than about 7 pounds in total, so it's also the ultimate budget food.

Ilse's Recipe for Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
5l water
1kg dried split peas
2 leeks
1 big onion
half a box of white mushrooms*
3/4 of big celeriac (all of it if you're using a small one)
1 table spoon of mustard
half a stick of salted butter
six vegetarian stock cubes
salt and pepper
carrots

In a 5-litre soup pot, melt half the butter. Fry the sliced mushrooms; dice the onion and fry this too; slice the leeks and fry this (clean the leek beforehand!). Cube the celeriac (as finely as possible) and fry. Fry everything until nice and brown. Add the mustard and two stock cubes and the rest of the butter - leave until butter has melted. Add 1l of water. Bring to a boil. Add half the split peas. Stir. Add 1l of water. Bring to a boil. Stir. Add the rest of the split peas. Add 2l of water. Add the rest of the stock cubes. Add 1l of water. Bring to a boil. Stir occassionally. Keep tasting and add salt to taste.
When almost done (that is, when the split peas have dissolved), add sliced carrots to taste (not too many, they sweeten the soup). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ideally, make it cool down quickly and leave outside (if [near] freezing) or in the fridge overnight, then freeze or serve.

*I find it interesting that apparently I find it less insulting to my family recipe to use mushrooms to add a bit of an earthy, nutty flavour to the soup than I find it to use potatoes to thicken it. Perhaps because adding potatoes points to bad technique and using mushrooms enhances flavours. I don't know. Potatoes in split pea soup remain evil.