Green pea and ham soup

Photo by hulagun

Rainy day perfection. This is a fast recipe that can be made on your stove top, although I wrote the recipe for the slow cooker. Either way, after all the ingredients go in, there is still time to do other things around the house or even grab a pre-dinner nap.

Ingredients

1 lb (2 1/4 cups) green split peas
1 med onion, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 leeks, chopped (remove dark green leaves)
2 carrots, chopped small
2 large cloves garlic, diced
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 smoked ham hock
1 bay leaf
2 tblsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

6 servings, 2 quarts

Directions

Wash and drain peas. Place in slow cooker with worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, some pepper, ham hock and 2 1/2 quarts of water. Set to high heat to bring up to temperature. Meanwhile saute the onions, leeks and garlic in a little olive oil until wilted and you really smell the garlic. Add this mix to the slow cooker, and cover loosely. After an hour, turn the heat to medium and skim any foam off the top of the soup. Simmer another 1/2 to 1 hour, or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove the ham hocks and bay leaf from the soup. Purée the soup in a blender, but take care to only fill the blender halfway and hold down the lid while blending. Return the purée to the cooker and turn heat to low.

Debone the ham hock, and remove the skin, gristle and fat. Dice the remaining meat into small bits and mix back in to the soup. Add more salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve warm in bowls with croutons or a good loaf of sourdough, and cold beer.

2 hours