Pea Soup

Photo: flickr user Qfamily

Ingredients

1 pound quick-cooking green split peas

1 med. onion

1 cup celery, in ½ inch thick slices

1 pound smokes sausage

1/4 cup butter

4 slices white bread

Snipped parsley

3 qts. water

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon dried ground marjoram

1 beef bouillon cube

2 lbs. spareribs, cut into 2 rib pieces

2 med.-thick leeks

Preparation

About 3 hours before serving:

1. In large kettle place peas and water; bring to boil; then simmer, covered, 1 hour and 15 minutes.

2. Add salt, pepper, allspice, marjoram, bouillon cube, and spareribs, trimmed of all fat; stir well. Bring to boil; simmer, covered, 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, halve leeks lengthwise; then wash and cut into 1-inch slices. Peel and cut onion into thin rings. Add these, with celery and sausage, to soup; bring to boil; simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until spareribs are tender.

4. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, heat butter; in it toast bread, cut into small cubes, until brown and crisp. Heap in small bowl.

5. Serve soup in one of these 2 ways: Remove spareribs and sausage from soup; keep warm. Transfer soup to tureen or soup bowls; sprinkle with parsley; serve as first course with bread cubes. Follow with main course of spareribs and sausage, cut into 2 inch pieces, along with favorite vegetable.

Or, remove meat from spareribs, cut up if needed; add to soup with peeled sausage in thin slices. Serve as main dish soup with bread cubes and a tossed crisp salad. Follow with a hearty dessert.