Thread by @Cajsa

Another gift for followers, a protein-rich vegan recipe that has the smoky taste of a ham hock braised for hours. How? Well, it wasn't my trick. The recipe came from triciacornell.com
and her cookbook, The Minnesota Farmer's Market Cookbook.

Smoky Yellow Pea Soup

Ingredients are:
2 bay leaves
10 coffee beans
2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3–4 large garlic cloves, minced
1⁄2 yellow onion, diced (The cookbook called for red, I don’t have any on hand.)

1⁄4 cup olive oil (This seemed like a lot, but I decided to trust the recipe. It is the right amount.)
Salt and Pepper
1⁄2 cup white wine (The recipe calls for vermouth, but I had white wine which worked perfectly well.)
2 cups yellow split peas
8 cups water

Heat the olive oil, add the thyme, red chili peppers, and coffee beans. Add chopped yellow onion, salt and pepper, two bay leaves, and smashed garlic. Add salt and pepper. Cook on medium low until onions are tender, but not caramelized.

Add white wine and turn heat to medium. Cook ten minutes or so, until alcohol is cooked off.

Toss in the split peas, salt, pepper and water and turn heat up to a low boil for about an hour to 90 minutes until the peas are tender. Check frequently, stirring so it does not burn or stick to the bottom.

Using a slotted spoon remove the bay leaves and coffee beans and let cool. The book does not mention doing this, but it just makes sense.

Use an immersion blender if you have one (I don't) or a blender to puree the soup.

Serve with a bit of balsamic vinegar on top to look pretty and a bit of lightness.

Since there is no meat or dairy, this keeps well. I just made it yesterday in a crockpot - an experiment. Turned out great