SPLIT PEA SOUP

SPLIT PEA SOUP
This is a classic that will feed a lot of people and warm you up. It’s inexpensive and endlessly
variable. To serve 6, with leftovers, you’ll need:
2 Tb. olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced – optional
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. green split peas, picked over and rinsed
6 – 8 cups chicken stock
1 lb. diced ham with some fat
Salt, red pepper flakes, dry thyme
In a big soup pot sauté all of your vegetables till they’re soft, then add the garlic and stir it
around for about a minute. Dump in the peas, add the stock and the ham, and bring it all up to
a boil. Turn it down, partially cover the pot, and let it simmer till the peas are soft, at least ½ an
hour. The longer you cook it the thicker it gets, so keep an eye on it. When it’s to your liking add
the seasonings to taste and serve in big bowls with some good bread on the side. Simple and
very, very good. It’s easy to make this vegetarian – just omit the ham and use vegetable stock. If
you have time this is even better when you cook it with a big meaty ham bone; it makes a deep
delicious soup, but takes longer as you need to get the flavor out of the bone and the ham off
the bone. Try it this way when you can. Yum!