split pea soup

I've never made split pea soup and really never had a hankerin' to... until I tasted some that my friend Merrie had made. I always think of one of our favorite all time movies, Strange Brew, where Bill and Doug McKenzie are on the witness stand and ask for 2 bowls of "split plea soup to go".


Anyway, I had a ham bone from the ham we had on Easter and I thought it would be a great time to try it. I picked up some split peas at the co-op and I was ready to roll.


SPLIT PEA SOUP
1 lb. dried split peas (about 2 1/4 c.)
8 c. water
1 large onion. chopped (about 1 c.)
1 c. finely chopped celery
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 ham bone or 2 lbs. ham shanks, or smoked pork hocks
3 medium carrots, cut into slices
Heat peas and water to boiling in Dutch oven or large stock pot (allow room to prevent over boil). Boil uncovered 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
Stir in onion, celery and pepper. Add ham shanks. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until peas are tender. (Mine were done in less time.)
Remove ham shanks; remove ham from bone. Trim excess fat from ham; cut ham into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir ham and carrots into soup. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender and soup is of desired consistency, about 30 minutes. 8 servings (about 1 1/2 c. each); 425 calories per serving.

The bright green color... well, let's just say it made the kids turning up their noses but it's tasty, filling and cheap to make. I made a loaf of bread and dinner was served!