guy fawkes day, london particular and winners

London Particular – an "easy, peasy" soup

Happy Guy Fawkes Day! I am fascinated by this UK holiday, which has moribund origins but is now a rather lighthearted celebration. It all started when Guy Fawkes was executed for his traitorous role in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The grisly details of his death are actually pretty sickening, but are certainly in keeping with that period of time. Over the years – and centuries – Guy Fawkes Day has evolved into a bona-fide celebration – and not of the politically correct variety. Revelers build a huge bonfire, burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes and watch fireworks – and then enjoy warming foods, like soup.

Enter London Particular, a thin, smoky version of a basic split pea soup. It's warming and substantial enough that it will please the palates of hungry veg-heads and omnivores, alike. Plus, it's easy to make and is extremely frugal: I calculated the conservative cost per serving to be 50 cents, based on prices in the Philly region.

My recipe for London Particular appears in my new cookbook, Celebrate Vegan. The book includes 200 plant-based recipes for a slew of traditional, civic and religious holidays, as well as for quirky international and offbeat holidays – like Guy Fawkes Day.

Before I hand off the recipe, without further ado, here are the contest winners...[drumroll]....
Twitter [FREE copy of Celebrate Vegan]: @veganmachine -- Kaycee.
Blog  [FREE coupon-a-rama: vouchers for a free So Delicious product, free Earth Balance Coconut Spread, free Tribe Hummus and a free Tofutti product.]: JENNA, in all caps!
Congratulations@ Please email me with your mailing address, amigos.


London Particular

• 1 cup dried split peas, soaked overnight in water [You can also use yellow or red split peas]
• 2 T Earth Balance
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Up to 1 tsp liquid smoke, or to taste

Serves 4 hungry revelers

Drain and rinse the peas. In a stock pot, melt the Earth Balance and saute the onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.

Throw everything else in the pot [Told you this is easy!]. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until everything is soft.

Carefully puree the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender. Adjust seasonings.