You will need…
1 soup pot (a pot that can hold 10 cups of liquid)- A kitchen wand (hand blender – immersion blender)
- 2 1/2 cups of dried split peas
- 2 cups of leftover cold ham, chopped up in small cubes
- 2 cups of chopped up onions (2 medium onions)
- 2 cups of chopped up carrots
- 1 cup of chopped up celery
* chopped up = cut into really small pieces. The size isn’t that important, but all veggie pieces should be about the same size so they cook at the same rate.
- A teaspoon of Olive oil (or any cooking oil)
- 9 cups of liquid
* liquid = you can use prepared stock (2 tetra packs is 8 cups, so use 2 tetra packs and then add 1 cup of water). -or- make your own with chicken stock powder (8 teaspoons of powder for 9 cups of water).
- Salt, Pepper and 1 teaspoon of Oregano. Maybe a Bay Leaf if you have one.
- Croutons (your choice).
Steps
- Place pot on stove.
- Add oil to pot.
- Turn heat to medium.
- Add the veggies and heat them for about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the 9 cups of liquid.
- Add the 2 1/2 cups of dried split peas. Rinse the peas in cold water then add them to the liquid and veggies in the pot.
- Season with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Add a Bay Leaf if you have one (be sure to remove it BEFORE you go at it with a kitchen wand)
- Bring to boil, then reduce to a low temp (lowest setting), cover with lid (leaving a small gap for steam to escape) and let it simmer for 2 hours.
- You will be able to tell when it’s ready by tasting. If the peas are still crunching or hard, keep cooking.
- Remove Bay leaf.
- Let it cool a bit, then use your kitchen wand (hand blender – immersion blender) to puree. Work the wand around the pot (careful not to splash the hot soup on yourself) until you get the consistency you want.
- Return the soup to low heat and slowly heat it to desired temperature for serving. Stir it once in a while to stop if from globbing on the bottom of the pot.
- Serve with croutons on top!
Notes
- Serve with croutons on top.
- It freezes really well.
- This soup serves 8.
That beautiful photo of pea soup & croutons is not mine, it’s from here. I hope you don’t mind me using it. It’s what I would like my soup to look like.
By: Mike Benny
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