I really, really liked the unusual flavor of this soup but hubby wasn't completely won over. I am out of broth so I added a tbp or so of chicken base to 2 cups of warm water. I did take Beaner's suggestion to add cayenne, cumin & mninced garlic & I let this simmer longer than called for, to really fuse the flavors. Wasn't sure whether I should drain my beans so I did just in case. I used my immersion blender to puree. (If you do soups, you gotta get one!) I swirled a bit of cream in the bowls then ran a knife through the cream to add a little interest. My one complaint w/ the soup? It's not a very appetizing color so it's not something I would serve to guests. I served this as a first course to jerk-seasoned pork medallions w/ Spicy Pineapple Sauce (from allrecipes), jasmine rice w/ chopped bell peppers & coconut lime sorbet for dessert.

Wow, I must of done something wrong because this turned out terrible. I followed directions to the T. If you don't love split pea soup, don't bother.

I too made this from dry beans with my own spices, otherwise I followed the recipe as posted. This soup is fantastic! My favorite soup to date. My hubby who is not a soup person asked for seconds and to take some to work for lunch the next day. This soup is going to be a regular at our table.

This is an excellent soup! As a base, I'd give it 5 stars. However, stand alone, unless you like the flatter side of foods, small adjustments to this recipe are warrented. In my second batch I used black beans from dry and added 1/4 tsp crushed cumin seed, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 1/2 cloves (1 1/2 tsp) minced garlic, and a 1/4 tsp of cajun seasoning. Redundent? It was WONDERFUL. I'd also strongly recommend using the chicken stock. Finally, I threw 5 sliced medium button mushrooms, an extra (1) cup of black beans (after the blending) and 1/2 cup chopped onions for added body and mouth feel. The recipe as is is very good and it WIDE OPEN for your own added tastes.

This soup is quite good but I think could be even tastier with additional spices. I started by sauteeing chopped onion and carrot and then proceeded with the rest of the recipe. I think the recipe could use some other spices as well.

Even better than expected! Preparing the recipe as written results in a very tasty soup, there is also a lot of room for customization. My husband suggested adding some spiciness to it; I would also like to try adding some more texture after the base is pureed.