Yellow Split Pea Soup with Red Onion, Lemon, and Virgin Olive Oil

In a small taverna on the Greek island of Santorini 1 tasted an appetizer of puréed favas, spread on a plate and topped with a puddle of good olive oil, cracked black pepper, thinly sliced red onion, accompanied by a wedge of lemon and some good bread. The favas were not a familiar shade of pale green so I went to the local grocery to see what they looked like in their uncooked state. Much to my surprise, in the bag of dried beans labeled “favas” were little yellow split peas. That mystery