Want the best red pea soup ever? This traditional family recipe is truly unbeatable.

Alright, let me tell you about making red pea soup the other day. It wasn’t planned, really. Just woke up feeling like I needed something hearty, something that sticks to your ribs. And red pea soup popped into my head. It’s one of those dishes that takes time, but it’s mostly hands-off time, you know? Perfect for a slow weekend.

Getting Started

First thing was the peas. I use dried red kidney beans – they just taste better after a long simmer. You absolutely have to soak them. I rinsed them real good first, picked out any weird-looking ones, then put them in a big bowl and covered them with plenty of water. Left them on the counter overnight. By morning, they were plumped up nicely.

Next morning, I drained those peas and gave them another rinse. Then came the chopping. Nothing fancy here.

• One big onion, diced.
• A few cloves of garlic, minced.
• Couple of stalks of celery, chopped.
• A carrot or two, also chopped.

I also dug around the freezer and found a smoked turkey wing. That’s optional, but man, it adds a smoky flavour that’s just fantastic. If you don’t have it, maybe some smoked ham hock or even pigtail works, but I had the turkey wing, so that’s what I used.

The Cooking Bit

Got out my big, heavy pot. The kind you need for slow cooking. Put it on the stove, medium heat. Added a splash of oil. Once it was warm, I threw in the chopped onion. Let that soften up for a few minutes, stirring it around so it didn’t burn. Then I added the celery and carrot. Cooked those for another five minutes or so until they started to get a bit tender.

Tossed in the minced garlic next. Stirred that for maybe a minute, just until you could smell it. Don’t want burnt garlic, it’s bitter.

Okay, time for the main players. Dumped in the soaked and drained red peas. Added the smoked turkey wing. Then I poured in enough chicken broth to cover everything by a couple of inches. Could use water, but broth gives it more depth. I also threw in a sprig of fresh thyme and a bay leaf. And a little bit of black pepper. Not adding salt yet – the smoked turkey can be salty, and the peas cook better without salt added too early.

Brought the whole thing up to a boil. Then, turned the heat way down low, put the lid on slightly askew, and just let it simmer. And simmer. And simmer. This is the waiting part. It takes a while. At least two hours, sometimes three. Depends on the peas. You just gotta let it do its thing. Checked it now and then, gave it a stir, made sure there was enough liquid. Added a bit more water once when it looked a bit low.

Finishing Up

After about two and a half hours, I tested the peas. Took one out, mashed it with a fork. Nice and soft. Perfect. Took out the smoked turkey wing – the meat was falling off the bone. Pulled the meat off, shredded it, and tossed it back into the pot. Fished out the thyme sprig and the bay leaf.

Now, some folks like it thicker. You can mash some of the peas against the side of the pot with your spoon. I did that a bit. Finally, time to taste and season properly. Added salt, more black pepper. Kept tasting and adjusting until it felt right. Some people add a scotch bonnet pepper for heat, but I skipped it this time.

That was pretty much it. Ladled it into bowls. Served it hot. It was exactly what I wanted. Rich, smoky, filling. Proper comfort food made the slow way. Took most of the afternoon, but totally worth the effort. Nothing quite like homemade red pea soup.