Split Pea Soup

I had only tried split pea soup out of a can when I was growing up and thought it was gross and looked gross. When my mother-in-law introduced it to me again, as homemade, I was in heaven. It is now one of my favorite soups! It still doesn’t look all that appealing but it definitely looks better than the soup out of a can. And, it doesn’t even taste like peas. Believe me, my husband wouldn’t eat it if it did. 😉 I get my split peas at our local food co-op in the bulk bins but I’m sure they have them at most stores. I love to make this with leftover ham from a holiday dinner but you can make it with a whole ham (bone-in), or you can cook it with bacon! We like to have bread and butter with it. I think the Rosemary adds a special touch and guess what? It’s great for improving your memory! Those of us with Fibromyalgia really need that.
(For a vegetarian option, don’t add any meat and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups dried split peas
• 1 QT chicken broth (4 cups)
• 1 1/2 lb. ham or 1-2 cups leftover ham (chopped into squares)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• salt & pepper (sprinkled in as desired)

Directions:
Soak your split peas overnight in a large bowl of water, covered by about 3 inches. This will save in cooking time but if you need to do it in the same day, simmer in water for about 5 minutes, then soak for an hour and drain. Add the split peas to a large pot with the chicken broth. Add the ham, onion, carrots, and all the seasonings. (If you have a whole ham, cook with the bone.) Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on medium for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and cook another 10 – 15 minutes to thicken. Basically cook until the carrots are soft and peas are mushy, not crunchy. (It will look like the picture above.) Remove bay leaves and the ham bone before serving (if it’s a whole ham you will need to cut it up before serving).

Split peas after they were soaked overnight:

Soup cooking with the bay leaves: