Split Pea Soup with Crispy Ham
Split pea soup is a winter comfort food, which is ironic considering the peas used to make it are a spring vegetable. The same sweet, crisp garden peas most of us consume frozen throughout the year are dried and hulled to make split peas for soup. I like to bring those garden peas back to the forefront with my Two Peas in the Pot soup! Adding frozen baby sweet peas to your dried peas, brings back subtle sweetness and extra texture to this soup after the dried peas have completely disintegrated. Speaking of texture, keeping the traditional ham out of the soup and instead sprinkled on top as a garnish also livens up this sometimes ho-hum bowl. Gold potatoes and sweet carrots are the final elements necessary to bring this soup from boring baby food to a hearty and satisfying meal.
Directions:
Heat a 6 quart stock pot over medium heat and add olive oil.
Add diced ham to pot and stir to coat in olive oil. Continue to sauté, stirring frequently until ham is gold brown, about 10-12 minutes. Use slotted spoon to remove ham from the pot and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
Add onions and celery to oil remaining in the pot and sauté on medium heat for 5 min until onions begin to turn translucent.
Add grated garlic and dried thyme and stir for 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant.
Drain and rinse dried peas and add to the pot along with chicken broth. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer on medium low for 20 minutes.
Add potatoes and frozen peas, cover and simmer an additional 20 minutes.
Add carrots and simmer an additional 10 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender.
Add salt and pepper or season to taste. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with reserved crispy ham!
(Makes about 12 cups)
Ingredients:
1lb. (448 grams) Dry Green Split Peas (sorted, rinsed and soaked in cool water for at least 4 hrs)
8 oz (224 grams) Frozen Baby Sweet Peas
8 oz (224 grams) Uncured, Black Forrest Ham Slices, diced into ½ inch pieces.
½ Large White Onion, diced. (about 150-165 grams)
3 Medium Carrots, diced into ½” pieces. (about 250 grams)
4 Ribs Celery, diced into ½” pieces. (about 160 grams)
4 Medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and diced into ½” pieces. (about 400 grams)
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1 Garlic Clove, grated.
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth, hot.
2 ½ tsp Table Salt
¾ tsp Fine Ground Black Pepper
Split pea soup is a winter comfort food, which is ironic considering the peas used to make it are a spring vegetable. The same sweet, crisp garden peas most of us consume frozen throughout the year are dried and hulled to make split peas for soup. I like to bring those garden peas back to the forefront with my Two Peas in the Pot soup! Adding frozen baby sweet peas to your dried peas, brings back subtle sweetness and extra texture to this soup after the dried peas have completely disintegrated. Speaking of texture, keeping the traditional ham out of the soup and instead sprinkled on top as a garnish also livens up this sometimes ho-hum bowl. Gold potatoes and sweet carrots are the final elements necessary to bring this soup from boring baby food to a hearty and satisfying meal.
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