Split Pea Soup

Submitted by CountryLady

"The ultimate comfort food on a cold day!Although the recipe calls for a smoked ham hock, I prefer using a meaty bone from a spiral cut ham. This soup is much thicker on day 2 but if you prefer a thicker, more rustic soup, increase the amount of peas to 2 cups.Credit goes to Toronto chef Christine Cushing."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 45mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 leek, white part only,washed and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ham hocks (preferably smoked)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 pinch dried chili flakes (optional)
• 1 1⁄2 cups split peas
• 10 cups chicken stock
• 1⁄4 cup fresh coriander, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• coarse salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• additional stock or water, if needed to thin the soup

directions

1. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot on medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, leek, and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add the ham hock, bay leaves, thyme, chile flakes and split peas and cook 2 minutes longer.
4. Increase heat to high.
5. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low.
7. Simmer soup, partially covered, for 2 hours or until split peas are soft, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove the ham hock and take meat off bone and reserve.
9. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
10. With a hand held blender smooth purée some of the soup.
11. If the soup is too thick add some more water or stock to loosen.
12. Return meat to the pot, bring back to a boil and add the chopped coriander& parsley.
13. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
14. Serve hot.

Reviews

[WLynn Chambers]

This is hands down the very best split pea soup recipe I have ever eaten. I also used a spiral cut ham bone (plus, left over ham). Left out the chili flakes, coriander and flat leaf parsley. I put all of the ingredient in a crock pot about 1:00 p.m. and it was perfectly done at 5:30 p.m. It was nice and thick. My husband and a friend of ours truly loved this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[Boca Pat]

We thought this soup was absolutely delicious.I used a bone from a honey baked spiral ham, added one cubed potato and left out the leeks(forgot to buy them) and I simmered it for 3 hrs. It wasn't as thick as I would have liked, but it sure wasn't lacking in flavor. Thanks for a great recipe CountryLady

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Lovely soup; the fresh herbs added a nice touch. This is more of a 'restaurant-style' pea soup than I am accustomed to; i.e. it was fairly thin and would be a good first course rather than a meal in itself. I used dried thyme rather than fresh and also threw in a little savory. I did use a piece of smoked ham with the bone rather than a ham hock.

 

[Marie]

I had no ham bone so I used a ham slice with a small bone in it. Also used 2 cups of split peas for the thicker soup. This is sure better than the recipe I have been using forever. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for another winner, CL.