In the colder months of the year, America is ripe with split pea soup making and as an American living abroad, I was so pleased to see that this same dish is also a part of the Dutch cold-weather food program as well. In truth, this soup most likely originates from Europe, but no matter where you come from, if it’s cold where you are, make this soup. It warms your soul & fills your belly.
Split Pea Soup
serves 4-6
350 g dried split peas
2 L stock of choice
500 g smoked ham hock (bone on)(or smoked ham off-bone)
220 g carrot chopped (about 3)
250 g celery chopped (about 4)
12 g garlic roughly chopped
130 g onions chopped
2 T olive oil
2 bay leaves
1/4 t dried thyme
s&p
*all of the veggies were chopped uniformly, but relatively large in size
I recently made this soup simply because I bought an already smoked ham hock at a French farmer's market on a family outing. If I ever see a ham hock, I am going to be making pea soup, it's that simple. When I brought it home I warmed it up for about 30 minutes in my chicken stock, which also gave the broth some extra flavor. You can of course buy a ham hock and cook it yourself if you desire. I warm up my stock with the ham hock inside of it, to give it some flavor. Then I removed it and let it cool a bit. Once cooled break apart all of the meat, and throw away any fat that didn't break down.
In a large pot on medium heat with the olive oil, cook the carrots for 5 minutes with the lid on. Then add the celery & onions and cook for 3 minutes. Finally add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes with the lid on. Season everything well, then pour the stock in. Bring to a boil, add the bay leaves, split peas, shredded ham and thyme. Cook for about an hour, or until the peas have split open, thickening up the soup on its own. Check seasoning before serving.