Tidbits & Nuggets

Green Split Pea Soup with Ham

I'm the first to admit that pea soup is not very photogenic so I took a picture of ingredients. My significant other is not the only one I know that won't touch the finished product with a ten foot pole. I have a great recipe and my dad and I enjoy it for weeknight dinners.

Andersen's split pea soup is famous in these parts. Billboards along 101 on the way to Buelleton feature a cartoon of two chefs, Hap-Pea and Pea-Wee trying to split a pea with a mallet and chisel, or stirring a huge pot of soup. I finally tried the famous soup a while back. What a disappointment! Their recipe is almost identical to mine but it didn't include the ham. It even needed salt. My recipe is much better.

Here's the recipe:
2 cups of dried green split peas
1 cup chopped celery
1 bay leaf
1 quart water
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped water
1/4 tsp thyme
1 ham bone (HoneyBaked if possible)
1/2 cup diced carrots
salt & pepper
Put everything into a crock pot on high for 1 hour, turn it down and cook 4-5 hours or longer.
Take out the ham bone then spoon the liquid off the top and strain any fat. Add the strained broth back to the rest of the soup. Use a wand blender if you like the soup smooth. Add any ham bits to the soup and salt and pepper to taste.

This can also be made on the stove top. Simmer covered 2 1/2 to 3 hours