Smoked Turkey & Split Pea Soup

One of my absolute favorite things in the world is a smoked turkey tail. No, seriously. If you’ve never had one, just plain and boiled in water…you’re missing out on one of the wonders of the world. Smoked turkey tails have this great smoky flavor and the meat is succulent, juicy, and tender. When you boil the turkey tails in water, they produce this amazing broth that you can really do so many things with. So, I made a soup.

It’s nothing more than split pea soup and I’ve topped it with scallions, black pepper, and garlic oil. Listen to me…that garlic oil will bless your soul. It’s simple too. Just take 1 cup of good olive oil and put it on a low flame. Then, add 15 garlic cloves to the oil. Let it go for about 30 minutes or so. Make sure it’s super low – like a simmer. You don’t want to fry the garlic cloves – just let them release their good flavor. After a half hour, discard the garlic cloves and keep the oil in the fridge. Use it in recipes where you’d use regular olive oil. In this recipe, I topped the soup with a drizzle of the oil. Oh, and I toasted up some crusty French bread with the oil too. There are a million uses for that oil.

Now, here’s the recipe for the soup!

*PS, here’s a disclaimer. This soup uses those dried split peas that you find in the grocery store near the other beans. If you put the soup in the fridge and reheat it the next day, you’ll notice that it’ll be super thick. That’s okay. I don’t mind, because it tastes so good. But, if you want your soup back, just add a bit of chicken stock until you get the desired consistency and you’ll be all good.

Smoked Turkey & Split Pea Soup

-1 16 oz bag of dried split green peas

-1 16 oz bag of dried split yellow peas

-6 smoked turkey tails

-1 onion, finely chopped

-10 cloves of garlic, minced

-2 bay leaves

-2 tablespoons of fresh thyme

-About 10-12 cups of water

-1 chicken boullion cube

-1 beef bouillon cube

-garlic oil, scallion, and crostini, to garnish

1. Boil the turkey tails in water for about 45 minutes until they’ve completely fallen off the bone.

2. Then, add the dried split peas (green & yellow) to the pot. Also, add in the garlic, onions, bay leaves, fresh thyme, and both, the chicken and beef bouillon cubes.

3. Cook the soup on medium heat until the peas are super tender. This should take about 30 minutes. Check the liquid levels often. If you feel the soup is getting too thick, add water to thin it out.

4. One the soup is done, top it with black pepper, garlic oil, and fresh scallions. Be sure to get some crusty bread to dip in the soup!