Split Pea

If you have cooked lamb, beef, or turkey on hand, use it instead of the chicken.

Soupe aux Pois Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 4 1/2 hr

"Pease porridge in the pot nine days old" fairly well summarizes the technique of stew preparation in Shakespeare's day. A thick soup would have been left cooking for days at a time, with new vegetables, stock, and bits of leftover meat continually added. This Italian version contains rich duck meat, a delicious and unusual addition to pea soup.

Mary garnishes the soup with fried brioche croutons, crème fraîche and fresh chervil.

This is a refined version of classic split pea soup. It has a thinner consistency than other recipes (though it's still very hearty), and the addition of frozen peas brightens up the flavor.

Vellarikkai Thakkali Vengaya Pachadi Pachadi is the southern version of North Indian raita. You can substitute plain low-fat yogurt for the whole-milk yogurt here, but drain it in a sieve overnight first.

Gin Thoke This salad is pungent, crunchy, intriguing, and addictive. Although served as a dessert in Myanmar, it is also a great accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken, or steak.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Ginger Salad .

Khoresht Gheimeh This Persian stew recipe is adapted from the one that chef Homa Khakpour serves at Shiraz Kabab Cafe and Food Market. It's a terrific main course, which she pairs with chelo (steamed rice with melted butter). Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr

This is a fine dish for a cold day, and one that cries for ice-cold akvavit and beer. So popular is this soup with all the Nordics that it is said that the King of Sweden eats it every Thursday.

These meatballs made of beef, rice, and split peas are stuffed with dried fruit and braised in a flavorful tomato sauce—a hearty, satisfying labor of love.

With summer corn and plenty of hot sauce, this robust soup is beloved as a hangover cure.

Split pea soup is a lot like your favorite pair of slippers—it might not look like much, but boy does it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.