If you're like most Americans, you probably don't think of split peas as an exciting food, having too often faced a bland, muddy-green bowl of soup.

You may, however, be aware of the many nutritional benefits of split peas. Like other pulses, or legumes, they are a high protein food and a good source of minerals and vitamins, including heart-protective folate. Because split peas are rich in fiber, they are filling and help prevent overeating. They contain both soluble fiber, which helps to lower cholesterol and to normalize blood sugar levels, and insoluble fiber, which aids digestion.

So how does one make this excellent food into a delicious one? To start, look to the Middle East and India, the regions widely believed to have given birth to peas millennia ago.

In India cooks stew split peas with spinach or other vegetables and enliven the medley with sauteed gingerroot, garlic and garam masala spice blend, and serve them over rice as a hearty vegetarian entree. According to Neelam Batra, author of "1,000 Indian Recipes," Punjabi style split peas are served topped with sizzling onion sauteed with curry leaves, hot chilies, cumin seeds and cilantro. For weddings, split peas are sweetened with jaggery (thickened sugar cane juice) and cooked with a dried sour fruit and dried red chilies. Madras style split peas are flavored with fresh coconut, sesame oil, gingerroot and chilies and simmered with green beans or other vegetables. Indian cooks also turn split peas into crisp snacks: they soak them, fry them and toss them with spices.

Iranians use split peas in meaty main courses with saffron and other gentle seasonings. Two favorites of mine are lamb and split pea stew with eggplant and tomatoes and chicken and split pea stew with tarragon and cinnamon. To make stuffed meatballs, Persians mix cooked split peas with seasoned ground meat and rice, and use dried fruit as the stuffing.

Split peas are popular in Africa, too. Ethiopians cook them with garlic and gingerroot or make them into a spicy pea puree with sauteed onion and chilies. They serve the split peas with their thin, pancake-like flatbread.

American and European cooks have also found interesting uses for split peas. Some make pea pate by blending pureed dried peas with sauteed mushrooms and lemon juice. I've even seen a recipe for dried pea chocolate fudge, presented by the British Edible Pulse Association.

In the United States and Great Britain green split peas are the kind used most often. Faster-cooking yellow split peas with a more delicate, nutty flavor are preferred in Scandinavia and other northern European countries, as well as in Iran and India. In some markets you can find whole dried peas or canned dried peas; those I have found are canned without sugar, in contrast to the usual canned sweet peas.

I learned from my Poland-born Jewish mother to keep split pea and barley soup mix on hand as a pantry staple. For an easy, nutritious supper, I turn the mix into a main course: I cook it with a variety of diced vegetables, such as onions, carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes and zucchini, with seasoning and extra water or vegetable broth to cover them. At serving time I stir in chopped green onions and fresh dill, cilantro or parsley.

Split peas should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place and, according to the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, will keep indefinitely.

Saffron-Spiced Spaghetti Sauce with Yellow Split Peas

Persian cooks make delicious sauces from yellow split peas by simmering them with diced meat, tomatoes and sometimes with vegetables. By doing this they make good use of a small amount of beef or lamb, complementing it with the healthy protein of the legume. I use ground meat so the sauce will cook faster. To make it leaner, you can substitute ground turkey. For a vegetarian version, you can omit the meat or use soy "ground meat." Unlike green split peas, the yellow ones usually hold their shape, and so this sauce is composed of pretty yellow disks.

Usually Persians serve the split pea sauce with basmati rice, but I also like it as spaghetti sauce, with whole wheat or other whole-grain spaghetti. Occasionally I serve the saucy stew with whole wheat pita bread.

Makes 4 or 5 servings.

1 cup yellow split peas, sorted and rinsed (or green split peas, see note)

3 cups water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil

1 large onion, halved and chopped

4 to 6 ounces lean ground lamb or beef

1 fairly small eggplant (about 3/4 pound), diced small (about 1/2 inch)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley

Combine split peas and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until peas are just tender, adding water if mixture becomes too thick.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Add onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until softened but not brown. Add lamb and saute over medium heat, stirring often to crumble meat, for 5 minutes or until meat changes color. Add eggplant, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until eggplant begins to soften. Add cinnamon, saffron and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Mix tomato paste with 1/4 cup water and add to meat sauce. Combine with split peas (either in the saucepan or in the skillet). Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender and peas are well flavored; add a few tablespoons water if sauce is too thick. Stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, topped with parsley.

Note: If you are using green split peas instead of yellow ones, cook them in 4 cups water for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until tender, adding water as needed.

Yellow Split Pea Stew with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

This savory stew makes a tasty meatless entree and is best served over hot cooked rice or accompanied by fresh flatbread. If you don't have yellow split peas, substitute the green type; they will take about 1 to 1 1/4 hours to cook and will need about 4 cups of broth.

Makes 4 servings.

1 cup yellow split peas, sorted and rinsed

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth or water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil

1 large onion, halved and sliced

1 pound mushrooms, quartered

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced; or a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Combine split peas and broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until peas are just tender, adding water if mixture becomes too thick.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper, and saute over medium heat, stirring often, for 7 minutes or until browned. Add turmeric and tomatoes and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture is thick.

Mix tomato paste with 1/4 cup water and stir into split peas. Add mushroom tomato mixture. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until peas are well flavored. Stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Chicken and Split Peas with Rice, Vegetables and Fresh Dill

Flavored with fresh dill, cumin and turmeric, this substantial, warming entree can be served as a thick soup or a soupy stew. The split peas are not pureed, but are part of the colorful selection of vegetables.

Makes 6 main course servings.

2 pounds chicken drumsticks or thighs

1 large onion, sliced

1 cup split peas, sorted and rinsed

11 cups water

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 (12-ounce) piece banana squash or other winter squash, cut in 1-inch cubes

2 large carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup long-grain rice

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Cayenne pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped dill

In large saucepan combine chicken with onion, peas, water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add squash, carrots, celery, cumin and turmeric and cook for 15 minutes or until split peas and chicken are tender. Vegetables will continue cooking later.

Skim fat from liquid. Season liquid to taste with salt and pepper. Remove chicken pieces and discard skin and bones. Cut meat in strips.

Return stew to a simmer. Add rice and garlic. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice and vegetables are tender. Gently stir in chicken strips and half the parsley and dill. Taste and adjust seasoning; add a little cayenne pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve sprinkled with remaining parsley and dill.

 

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