Soup and Crostini.....the perfect pair

yeah yeah tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich are the ACTUAL perfect pair, but for me, my split pea soup and prosciutto crostini were the perfect pair for me tonight.  I just downed all of it.  Would you like me to share?  Wouldya?  That's what I thought.  So, first let me start by saying I have never ever made split-pea soup so I sort of flew by the seat of my pants, but I gotta say, it came out STUPENDOUSLY!  My mom always makes bean soups and they are utterly delicious, so homey, yet so LIGHT because THEY'RE BEANS!  Her secret is to use a ham bone- where did I get a ham bone, you ask? I served a ham for Easter- DUH!  After we got all of that glorious meat off the bone (and by "we" I mean Scott- love you!), I set out to make my split pea soup.  You should have a dinner party and serve ham JUST so you can make this soup.  You will live off of it for the rest of the week.  It will save your grocery bill because it's REAL inexpensive (minus the fact that you had to buy a huge ham....we won't talk about that).

Ingredients for Split Pea Soup
* note: I doubled this recipe and I will write out the ingredients as such, but you can half this to make a normal amount

• 2 bags of split peas, rinsed and picked over (I didn't really know what this meant but just do it- if you see any beans that look like rocks, throw 'em out)
• at least 4 cups of chicken broth (that's 2 of those boxes)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• a pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and peppa

Directions for Split Pea Soup

• In a large stock pot, sautee garlic and onions in some olive oil over medium heat until onions are transluscent.  add a pinch of salt, also add your pinch of red pepper flakes
• stick your ham bone in there and add your chicken stock- if the stock doesn't cover the ham bone, add water until the ham bone is covered
• add your bay leaves
• bring your stock to a boil, then add your split peas with another pinch of salt and some black pepper
• turn heat down to low and let this baby simmer for at least 45 minutes (I think I let it go for a couple of hours)

*I'm not gonna lie, when I tasted the soup I wasn't convinced.  It was OK. I added some more salt and pepper and hoped for the best.  It's best to serve this soup the NEXT day- PLEASE let this soup allow its' flavors to marry and fall in love in the refrigerator.  Check your soup for flavorings one last time (don't be discouraged if it's not great yet) and stick it in the fridge over night.  When you're ready to eat it for lunch or dinner the next day, re-heat it and try it to see what it needs.  It should be PERFECT AND READY TO GO if you've layered your flavors the day before.  You gotta let the fridge do her thang and help out your soup!

Ok now if you're not wanting a plain ole' grilled cheese with your soup (although who wouldn't want that?), here's another option: basil prosciutto crostini.  It's not like the most ingenious thing, but man is it flavorful.  This is one of those things that you sort of build with what you have on hand. I know I'm about to sound like a foofie foodie here (yes I meant to do that) but I just happened to have fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, prosciutto, bread, and some parmesan. So here it goes:

Ingredients for Basil Prosciutto Crostini

• bread.  ideally you want a french bread or something you can use as a crostini, but I only had sourdough so I halfed it
• some prosciutto (AF ladies, this is in the section of the commissary where they sell butter)
• big fresh basil leaves
• sliced tomato
• 1 garlic clove, skins removed
• olive oil
• parmesan cheese
• balsamic vinegar

Directions

• turn on the broiler and put your bread (however much you're making) into the oven for a few minutes (like 3)
• once they're toasted, take your garlic clove and rub it vigorously all over the bread
• layer one piece of prosciutto, then a slice of tomato
• grate some parmesan over it
• stick in the broiling oven for 3 minutes or until golden and bubbly
• put those beautiful basil leaves on top and sprinkle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic
• enjoy.