Split pea soup classic (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Main Ingredients
01 -
1 chunk of ham bone with meat attached
02 -
1 cup diced celery
03 -
1 big yellow onion, diced
04 -
1 pack (16 oz) of dry green split peas
05 -
1 cup chopped carrots
→ Seasonings
06 -
1/2 tsp black pepper
07 -
1 whole bay leaf
08 -
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
09 -
1 tsp table salt
# Instructions:
01 -
Pick through the peas to toss out any bad ones or bits of debris. Wash them under cool running water. Put them in a big pot (like a Dutch oven), then fill with water about 2 inches above the peas. Bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes, then take it off the heat. Cover up and let it sit 1-4 hours. Once they're soft, drain and rinse the peas, throwing out the soak water.
02 -
Put the softened peas back into the pot. Pour in 2-1/2 quarts of clean water and toss in the ham bone, chopped onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and thyme. Turn the heat up and let everything come to a boil.
03 -
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover it up, and cook for about an hour and a half. Stir every once in a while so nothing sticks.
04 -
Pull the ham bone out of the pot. Once it's cool enough, separate the meat from the bone and dice it into small chunks. Put the diced meat back into the soup and toss the bone.
05 -
Mix in the carrots and celery. Let the soup keep cooking uncovered for another 45-60 minutes, until it's as thick as you like and the veggies are nice and soft. Before serving, pull out and toss the bay leaf.
# Notes:
01 -
The flavor gets even better if you let it sit overnight.
02 -
No ham bone? Ham hocks or cubed ham will work, though the depth of flavor may be a little less.
03 -
As it cools, the soup will thicken up a lot. You might need to splash in some water when warming up leftovers.