Guest Chef Michael Liang's Carrot, Marigold, and Yellow Split Pea Soup with Green Sauce
When you think of split peas, chances are your mind defaults to the green variety. But did you know that yellow splits are just as nutritious and delicious? These cousins are similar in so many ways, but have a slightly different flavor profile and have been used by many cultures all over the world. (Read more about dry peas on our blog: Green vs. Yellow Split Peas.)
It's hard to beat the comfort of a steaming bowl of green split pea soup (especially with chunks of post-holiday ham, if that's your vibe), but we love using yellows to brighten up a dish and bring a splash of fall color to your plate.
We partnered with Michael Liang from Happy Kitchen Farm to bring you a gorgeous yellow split pea soup made with carrots and marigold flower petals.
Yes, flower petals! Incorporating flowers into cooking adds vibrant color, subtle fragrance, and unexpected depth to both sweet and savory dishes. Often dubbed "poor man’s saffron", golden marigold petals deliver a warm, citrusy, and slightly peppery flavor with subtle bitter undertones. Historically used across Georgian, Mexican, and Indian cuisines, marigold brings brilliant yellows and oranges to rice dishes, soups, butter blends, and teas without the heavy cost of actual saffron. Additionally, marigold is rich in antioxidants like lutein. Gently rinsed, the petals transform everyday recipes into visually stunning, aromatic meals with an earthy, sunshine-bright bite.
Michael's recipe also features carrots in two ways: the roots—which get sweeter as the temperature drops—and the leafy fronds. Both are perfect foils for each other, and not just because of their colors. He encourages you to try the hearty yellow split pea soup with and without the herby green sauce. The soup is good, but together, wow, what a difference! It’s a lesson in the importance of acidity to bring balance to a meal.
Happy Kitchen Farm, located in Tacoma, WA, offers farm-to-table meal kits throughout the growing season. They develop recipes where 100 percent of the ingredients can be sourced from the Pacific Northwest.
Carrot, Marigold, and Yellow Split Pea Soup with Green Sauce
Michael Liang, Happy Kitchen Farm
4-6
50 minutes
Soups
Ingredients
For the soup
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cups diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery stalks and leaves
- ½ cup chopped shallots
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, minced
- 2 cups Clear Creek Yellow Split Peas
- 2 cups marigold petals (from 4 flowers)
- 7 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- Marigold petals for garnish (from 1 flower)
For the green sauce
- ½ cup minced chives
- ½ cup carrot fronds, stems removed, minced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbl red wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
Directions
First the soup
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, celery, shallots, and jalapeños. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that nothing burns.
Add the yellow split peas, marigold petals, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the peas soften. Add salt to taste.
Now the green sauce
While the soup simmers, prepare the green sauce. In a small bowl, add the minced chives, carrot fronds, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt. Stir to mix everything together (you can also put everything in a small glass jar, add a lid, and shake vigorously).
To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls, drizzle with the green sauce, and garnish with remaining marigold petals.
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