EASY PEASY SPLIT PEA SOUP

One of the best things about Christmas has always been ham.  Well, in the household I grew up in ham was the main dish for Christmas dinner.  Once Christmas is done you are left with a beautiful meaty juicy ham bone.  There are many things I can do with a good ham bone but one of my favorites is to make split pea soup.  Not everyone likes split pea soup.  For some reason they get all hung up on the fact pea is in the mix.  However, making split pea soup is nothing like eating green peas.  This delicious soup gives an entirely new meaning to the word PEA.  

I like split pea soup to be nice and chunky not turned to mushiness but you have to know how to cook it in order to ensure that it does not turn to mash.  My favorite way is by layering the ingredients in my crockpot.  Using a crockpot ensures a slow cooking method which allows flavors to mingle and intertwine.  It helps to break down the goodness that is left in and around the ham bone.  People do not realize how much goodness is in bones.  Bones contain so much nutrition.  You have calcium and marrow.  Bone broth is a wonderful way to stay healthy.  Well, making this soup with a ham bone gives you those benefits.  Plus when I am making this I use homemade ham bone broth.  Extra extra goodness.  Who says soup can not be healthy?

Now you can make this soup in a dutch oven as well but you will need to change the recipe a bit.  I will explain at the end with the recipe.

Of course, you start with a meaty ham bone.  All you do is put that in your crockpot.  

Rinse a bag of split peas and put them in your crockpot. 

Peel and cut up a couple of carrots.  

Place those in the crockpot.

Chop up a few stalks of celery.

Layer this on top of the carrots.

Chop a medium onion.  Save the scraps of the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for making homemade bone broth.

Mince 4 to 5 cloves of garlic.  Yes, I love garlic.  This soup can handle that much but if you are not a fan use what you wish or none at all.

Put the chopped onion and minced garlic on top of the celery.

Add a good broth to cover the mix.  Toss a few small bay leaves into the crockpot and salt and pepper to taste.  

Put the lid on the crockpot.  Place on low for 4 to 5 hours.  Do not open the lid while this cooks.  

Once it has finished cooking do not stir the soup.  Just dip out in bowls and serve.  A few years ago a friend told us to make it heartier cook up some egg noodles and top the noodles with this yummy soup.  

SPLIT PEA SOUP

Ingredients

• One hambone or pieces of ham (if using pieces use 1 to 2 pounds}
• 1 package of split pea soup- rinsed
• 2 large carrots sliced
• 2 to 3 stalks of celery sliced
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 large bay leaf or 2 to 3 small pieces
• 6 to 8 cup of ham or chicken broth
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

• Place the ham bone or pieces of ham on the bottom of the crockpot.
• Rinse a package of split peas and put that on top of or around the split peas.
• Next slice carrots and layer it on top of the split peas.
• Slice the celery and this goes on top of the carrots.
• Chop one medium onion and put this on top of the celery.
• Mince garlic and place on top of the onion.
• Add broth, put the bay leaf in along with salt and pepper. 
• Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.  

You can also wait to add the split peas the end.  This will make sure the split peas do not go disintegrate.  Just put the rinsed split peas in about an hour prior to serving.

If you do not wish to make this in a crockpot you can use a dutch oven.  If you chose this method, place your ham bone into the dutch oven and add water to barely cover.  Allow this to cook 6 to 8 hours which will make a nice broth.  In a pan saute carrots, celery, and onions in a couple teaspoons of olive oil for 10 to 15 minutes.  Just until they become tender.  At the end of the cooking time add garlic and allow to cook for another 2 minutes.  Place all of this into the dutch oven and add bay leaves and salt and pepper.  Allow this to cook about 30 minutes then add rinsed split peas.  Cook only until they become tender.  This will make a beautifully tasty soup.  

Please remember you can make this soup without a ham bone.  All you need is some nice ham you chop up into pieces.  However, this is a great way to use up all of Holiday or Sunday ham.  

All of this is subjective to taste.  I go heavy on garlic so if you are not a garlic lover you can cut it to a couple of cloves or not put in any at all.  

Remember not to throw out your peels and scraps of the veggies.  

You can use this later for broth.  I saved mine because I also had turkey bones left over from Christmas.  I have turkey broth going now.

Enjoy!!