Mixed Grain Soup

I have Ham going... two of them, in fact. So, I thought I would make some Pea Soup. And somewhere along the way (very nearly towards the beginning), I decided to add a bunch of other Grains, which turned out to be a massive mistake.

• Water
• I filled the pot.
• And likely, I will be filling it again.
• 1 Cup (Half Package) Split Peas
• The reason de dish.
• ¼ Cup White Rice
• I don't know why.
• But I started adding stuff.
• ¼ Cup Dried Barley
• This is really why I started adding stuff.
• Originally, I was hemming and hawing over whether I wanted to make Barley Soup or Pea Soup.
  • Well, I decided on Pea Soup.
  • And then, I decided on a Medley.
• Red & Black Pepper
• Red Pepper tends to expand to fill the space.
• So, I opted to add a pinch early and see what became of that.
• I can always add more.
• The story with the Black Pepper is similar...
  • Just a few turns.
    • After all, this is just the initial spicing run.
    • And I really have no idea as to either the final consistency or water lever (i.e. quantity), at this point.
• Half Bunch Green Onions
• In my opinion (never so humble), these were going bad.
• So, it's more of a use them up sort of situation.
  • Any added flavour is a secondary concern.
  • The other half of the bunch was sliced and frozen

I will simmer (and/or boil off-and-on) for most of the day... at least, the next five hours. Sure, I'll turn the burner off when I go for a walk. But I will turn it back on when I return.

I didn't bother to slice-up the Green Onions all that much (I just chopped them into thirds), as I will be putting the lot through (and/or processing the lot with) a stick blender; and that chews Green Onions right up, reducing them to an unrecognizable slurry.

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• 2 Tablespoons Pea Protein
• I forgot to include this in the above.
  • Typically, I write (or take notes) as I go.
  • But this time, I figured I'd remember.
    • Just goes to show.
• The inclusion of Pea Protein has more to do with using-up what is available and lying about than anything else.
• I doubt I will taste it or notice any difference in texture.

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I boiled the lot down twice, overflowing the pot once, which goes a long way towards explaining why I chose to boil it down (with the lid off; rather than, simmering it with the lid on), in the first place. {Is this not self-explanatory? Even if the heat is up a bit, the goop was less likely to boil over with the lid off. And in fact, that's (pretty much the opposite of) exactly what happened. For, the pot boiled over when I had a lid on it, forgetting to check and turn-down the heat.}

The Soup is stickier than I would like, a bit more like wallpaper paste... not that I have any great experience in this regard, save a lifetime of home cooked meals. I blame the addition of all those bland starches.

Oh, well.

It will go; and surprisingly fast, as I expect to have several (increasingly spiced) cups tonight... and every night until the last drop is gone.

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Just by-the-by, this cooked on the stove for a short five hours. My last attempt yielded a grainy porridge; this time, I got a pasty one.

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I did not like this enough to try and salvage, so I tossed it down the drain the next day, flushing the lines with plenty of Water. I do not live in a drought state. I think the Water comes in at some number of Gallons per Penny, which is way cheaper than a plumber. I likely use a few Dollars worth of Water in this way each month. Certainly, I used a nickel or dime worth of extra Water just now.

So, after taking into account the Peas and the Water, I wasted (money-wise) whatever a half a bunch of Green Onions is worth.

Let's call it a 75¢ mistake and move on, shall we?


April, 2021