Split Pea and Ham Soup

This post so delayed it’s nearly embarrassing. I cook and bake pretty much daily but…somehow…some of my recipes/photos fall into the abyss somewhere! Like this one.

After Easter its tradition to make split pea and ham soup …to use up leftovers (really it’s just to appease myself that I will use up the leftovers). Instead of going with just the plain old green split peas…I went off the beaten path a bit and added some yellow ones just for fun. I think it enhanced the flavor a bit. You can certainly add ½ cup of onion to this, I just have an onion allergic husband so I pretty much have to omit them in anything I do. Bummer isn’t it?

This is a great soup, and I don’t think you have to wait for Easter just to make it. Most grocery stores and meat markets will give you a ham bone if you ask (you just may have to pay for it). The longer you cook it, the mushier the peas get…which we love. Be careful and go EASY on the salt. Flavor the vegetables lightly but after that….don’t add any until the soup is cooked. Why? Because ham and the ham bone contain so much salt already that if you aren’t careful you will have a soup so high in sodium no one would want to eat it. So take it easy…your heart will eventually thank you.

Enjoy!

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
1 ham bone
1-2 cups ham
3 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
6 cups water
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. dry yellow split peas
8 oz. dry green split peas
Salt/Pepper
Olive oil
Crème Fraiche

Directions:
Sauté carrots and celery in large soup pot with a 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper lightly and cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add garlic, and sauté for an additional minute. Add chicken stock, ham bone, and peas and cover and simmer on low for about 3 hours or until the peas are mushy. (Reserve ham).

Add ham and cook for about 5 minutes until ham is warm. Serve in bowls with a dollop of crème fraiche if desired.

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