I love split pea soup with ham and a ton of carrots. Add lots more vegetables, a leftover ham bone and ham, and you have yourself some good eatin’.
Split Pea Soup or 15 Bean Soup…You need some bones!
My mom used to make this soup all the time. She also used to make the 15 bean soup often for the family. (You know the one – the package with the spices and the variety of beans at the grocery store?). Below is a pic of the ones my mom always used…but enough about 15 bean soup – today we are here for SPLIT PEA ! (Although the process and directions are essentially the same!)
Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, there is, however, something you have got to do. That is buy some ham hocks if you are going to have successful bean with ham soup – of either variety. (split pea or 15 bean)
I know you are thinking – but why? When I first moved out of my parents house – I was trying to stay trim and eat healthy. That included beans and ham soup. I made 2 – 3 batches and it would not taste as good as my mom’s. My Mom’s recipe was followed – except for the ham hock. I called her up and told her I could not get my soup to taste like hers and she asked if I put the hocks in. No. I hadn’t. I thought they were “yucky”. Being new to running my own kitchen and feeding myself I had not yet conquered ham hocks or cutting chicken or many other meat oriented things… but I definitely wanted some good soup so I went out and got all the ingredients and tried again. And, of course, it tasted as good as mom’s when I was done. Lesson learned…
What are Ham Hocks?
This is the joint / section of the pig where the foot attaches to the leg. You could think of this as a pig ankle…although not technically / anatomically correct, but you get the approximate location!
Ham hocks are typically smoked and have a lot more collagen and connective tissues making them more flavorful in a recipe than just a ham bone (smoked or not). They impart a rich, smoky flavoring into the soup.
This day, being the lucky girl that I am, I had both hocks and a smoked ham bone. You know this soup was good !!!!
If you can’t find or don’t have a ham hock, a nice smoked, leftover ham bone will definitely come close to the same flavor.
A few last recipe tips :
I usually cover my soup ingredients with water / broth – and let them cook a long while. Think cold fall day or wet / rainy spring day when you are inside nesting or cleaning or binging netflix… so you have time to let the pot sit on the stove and let the flavors develop and meld.
I also always #VegItUp. Lots of vegetables, after all you need some vitamins, don’t you?
Split Pea Soup with Ham
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dried split peas Cleaned and picked over
- 4 Cups Chicken Stock
- 3-5 Carrots Chopped
- 2-3 stalks Celery Chopped
- 1 large Onion Chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 Ham Hock *Highly Highly recommended
- 1 Ham Bone *bonus if you have hocks and a bone!
- 1 C Ham cut from bone
- 2-3 tbl Olive oil
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 2 tsp Marjoram
- 2 Bay leaves
Instructions
- Start by cleaning and chopping your vegetables.
- Get the ham hocks ready – dry them with a paper towel.
- Get the ham bone ready if you have one to add.
- Lay out the split peas on a sheet pan and pick out any inedible items that may have slipped into your bag – or any peas that don't look just right.
- Put some olive oil into a big soup pot and warm the oil. Add the ham hocks and get a bit of a char on them – adding even more flavor to the pot / soup. Medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side. If you get a bit of fat or scum in the pot as a result of this step – go ahead and remove it before continuing on.
- Take the browned ham hocks out of the pan.
- Add more oil to the pan and saute your vegetables (onion, celery, carrots) for about 5-7 minutes. Add some S&P – building flavor layer by layer.
- Add the garlic and cook for one or two minutes – as the garlic gets nice and fragrant.
- Add the remainder of ingredients: broth, split peas, ham, ham hocks, ham bone, marjoram, bay leave, balance of S&P. Add enough water to cover your ingredients – or just about cover the ingredients. As you are bringing the soup up to boiling, skim off any scum that comes to the top. (I use a soup spoon and a bowl – skimming over the pot and then discard whatever I have in the bowl down the drain). Bring the soup to a Boil and then reduce to simmer with a mostly covered pot.
- Simmer for as little as an hour – or as much as a couple of hours. Stir periodically, ensure you aren't boiling too aggressively and stir things around. After a bit – taste the soup. How is the seasoning? Now is the time to adjust.
- When you are ready to eat – Pull out and discard the bay leaves, the ham hocks and the bone. Check the bone for any meat that is good to eat that you need to get off the bone. (Meat near the bone is generally more tender and succulent than that farther away) Add in / Add back any meat you've cut off the bone.
- Serve !
Notes
-
Made this twice now. First time was best. Used bay leaf in first batch. Used more than recommended amount of all veggies in both batches. Used entire bag of dried peas both times. Two large ham hocks produce better results than one. Added ham steak for meat in the soup – discarded ham hocks both times. All in all we love this soup and it gets eagerly eaten up. Great simple, quick, easy yummy recipe! I think the secret is the Marjoram!
- GIDGET265. CHICAGO, IL. 6/8/2010
