Trying out new foods - split pea soup

I talked about having split pea soup at a friends house and being pleasantly surprised.  So, I hunted down a recipe that I thought looked and sounded like the one I had and set to making it.  It was dead easily and really really yummy.  The recipe says to blend half of the soup once its made to given a more even consistency but still have the texture with the half not blended, but I didn't do that.  Also, I soaked my peas in water overnight and boiled for about 90 minutes rather than the 20/30 mins called for in the recipe, so perhaps mine broke down more.

I did follow the suggestion of serving with a little bit of paprika and a drizzle of olive oil which was a great touch.  Although just cause I'm trying to lose weight I will go for the paprika and not the olive oil on my next bowl... which will be in about half an hour!

I think mine looks quite a lot thicker than the recipe version, but I don't mind that.  I must admit though, it did take me about half the bowl to get over the fact that I was spooning green mush into my mouth!  Silly, I know.  I ate this with a toasted gluten free pitta which was a nice addition.

So, here's a picture of my soup.  Not quite as attractive and rustic looking at the one over at 101 Cookbooks but I'm sure it tasted just as good :)

Split green pea soup with paprika and a drizzle of olive oil