Split Pea Splendor

Split Pea Soup with Ham
Serves: 6
Cooking Time: ~2 hours

Even though ham is not my go-to meat when it comes to special occasions, a beautiful smoked bone-in ham has many benefits beyond the buffet. Ham leftovers are so versatile you could dedicate a whole blog to its scraps, but today I'll focus solely on the benefits of the bone: split pea soup.

A cloudy day meal, split pea soup summons warmth and heartiness that I feel is unparallelled by other soups. Thick and rich, it can be made iin a variety of ways to suit your tastes and dietary needs. For me, it's the best excuse for buying a smoked bone-in ham and it's always on my agenda when I make the trip to the butchers for something smoky and festive. For an Easter ham it's the perfect resurrection of the feast days afterwards(minus a few slices for a ham sandwich or an omelette).

Dry split peas will vary depending on what you buy. Normally I don't soak my peas overnight, but unsoaked peas need to cook longer to soften them just so. The bone is key but it seems best to comb the remaining cooked ham off of the bone before making the soup to avoid over-salting. Use low sodium broth since the saline quality of the ham bone will season it well and additional salt can be added at the end so that the peas don't disintegrate entirely. Alternatively, for a vegetarian dish, forgo the ham and bone and use only vegetable stock, then toss in a generous handful of frozen peas at the end of cooking to brighten up the works. Summer is on the horizon, so slurp away on this foggy-day classic as everything prepares to bloom.

1 tablespoon butter
2 cups green split peas, picked and rinsed well
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 leftover ham bone
1 cup cooked ham, chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
2-4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme
2  tsp ground pepper
1 tsp salt

1) In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook until softened.
2) Add pepper and thyme and cook for 2 minutes.
3) Add the split peas and bay leaves and stir for another 2 minutes.
4) Add the chicken stock and 2 cups of the vegetable stock.
5) Place the ham bone in the soup and stir.
6) Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low, and let simmer.
7) If the soup becomes too thick, add more vegetable stock in small amounts and stir.
8) When the peas reach the desired consistency, about 1.5-2h, remove from heat.
9) Remove the ham bone and bay leaves. Add the chopped ham to the soup and stir well.  Season with salt if needed.
10) Serve hot with croutons or crusty bread. Leftovers will freeze well for future indulgences.