Smoked Duck Split Pea Soup with Swiss Chard

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Spring is here at long last, so why doesn’t it feel like it? Well, it could be in full swing where you are, but here in Canada we recently shoveled our way out of a snowstorm. I wish I could say this was a freak incident. It is not. If you grew up in Canada, you’ve had your heart broken by a late March blizzard. You’ve probably also been burned by the ever-charming April version as well. So if spring snow is par for the course for us hearty canucks, we should be fine with it, right?! No. We’re grumpy and impatient as all hell, or at least I am. The only upside I see to this bonus winter is the opportunity to squeeze a few more comfort foods into the season. Dishes like today’s Smoked Duck Split Pea Soup.

Split pea soup is a dish I grew up on. I’ve hated it, tolerated it, loved it, forgotten about it, and rediscovered it. We’ve lived a life, this soup and I. This soup has been a part of my life for so long because it is practical. My mom and my grandmother knew how to stretch a meal. Pea soup was just the final natural state of a holiday ham. You don’t spend that much on a roast just to get a couple of dinners and sandwiches out of it. It must be spun into another meal that will, in turn, generate its own leftovers. And if you’re my grandmother, you must pack those leftovers into repurposed ice cream tubs to punk your grandchildren.

The family mantra has always been “have ham bone, will simmer”. But what if you don’t have a ham bone? What if you live in a two-person household where a ham is never practical or called for? How are you supposed to get your split pea fix? Well, there are a couple of ways around this. There is, of course, the ham hock hack. It delivers the traditional hammy goodness we all know and love. And then there’s a smoked turkey leg – beloved by all those who are kosher or have sworn off pork. And, of course, there is the vegetarian option of nothing but split peas, a bouquet garni, and mirepoix. 

These are all valid options, great workarounds that will yield good soup. So if you choose any of these, you are on a good path. I, myself, didn’t choose any of them. Instead, I opted to experiment with a smoked duck breast and I’m not sorry I did. If smoked duck is not for you, this recipe can still work. Just ignore the bit about cubing and sautéing the duck breast and pop a hock, turkey leg, or nothing into the pot with the water and split peas. I promise, at the end of 1-2 hours, you will have a magical soup. But enough about other options, let’s talk about this option – Smoked Duck Split Pea Soup. 

This soup starts as most do, with oil in a large heavy bottom pot. Once the oil is shimmering, we’re going to add diced smoked duck breast. We want to render out as much of the fat from the breast as possible. The duck should be nicely seared and on the way to crisp. Remove the duck using a slotted spoon, so you don’t scoop out any of that fat we worked so hard to render. To the pot add a diced sweet onion and a generous pinch of salt. Sauté until the onion is just translucent. Stir in carrots and celery and sauté until softened.

This is all standard soup stuff, but here’s where things are a little different. Take the onions, celery, and carrots out of the pot using a slotted spoon. Why are we doing this? Well, it’s because split peas take quite a while to cook down to the velvety texture we all know and love. And in that time onions, celery, and even carrots can cook down to a similar mushy consistency. Carrots in particular are troublesome in this respect because their bold color can mingle with the yellow or green split peas and turn them a less than pleasant brownish shade. On top of that, a mushy mirepoix doesn’t do much for the textural experience of the finished soup.

So, while the split peas get going, we’re going to leave the onions, carrots, and celery out of it. We will reintroduce them to the soup in the last 30 minutes of simmering. This will give them ample time to soften to a tender but toothsome texture. I chose to soften the veg at the beginning in order to introduce their flavor to the soup from the get-go.

Once you remove the mirepoix, add the split peas, and water, and return the duck to the pot. It might seem like you’re adding a lot of water to the pot and you are. Usually, we add about 8-10 cups of water to make a soup or stock. Here we’re looking for 12 to 13. That’s because split pea soup thickens significantly as it cooks, so this amount of water will ensure you have a soup and not a thick dip at the end of the simmering time. Keeping the soup a little loose will also prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot, which is a bonus if you tend to be an inattentive cook like me.

Bring the soup up to a boil and season generously with salt. Add bay leaves and fresh rosemary and let simmer for 1 hour. At the end of 1 hour, your split peas should be mostly cooked down but not quite there. This is the time to add the onions, celery, and carrots. Once they’re in the soup, we’re going to leave it to simmer for another 30 minutes.

While the soup is on its final simmer, we’re going to prep the Swiss chard. I love adding this Swiss chard to this Smoked Duck Split Pea Soup because it’s the perfect finishing touch in terms of flavor and appearance. Let’s face it, split pea soup is not the most attractive dish on the block, so adding blushing sautéed red Swiss chard stalks to the top, really amps up its appearance. And the Swiss chard is finished with a splash of white wine vinegar, giving this soup the acid hit it needs to really sing. I like to finish my soup with a sprinkling of celery leaves – the truly unsung hero of garnishes.

And that’s everything you need to know about this Smoked Duck Split Pea Soup with Swiss Chard. A vibrant and surprisingly bright take on the comfort food classic.

Enjoy!