split pea soup with ham

The idea for saving some peas to add later in the cooking process comes from Ina Garten’s recipe for PARKER’S SPLIT PEA SOUP by Parker Hodges in THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA COOKBOOK.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Ham, Soup, Split Pea

Servings: 12

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil regular is fine
Pinch crushed red pepper
4 cloves garlic minced
2 medium yellow onions diced
1 medium red onion diced
2 stalks celery diced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon each: dried thyme and oregano
2 bay leaves
4 medium carrots trimmed and peeled, medium-diced
3 medium parsnips trimmed and peeled, small-diced
2 medium red potatoes unpeeled, medium-diced
2 pounds split peas well-rinsed and picked over
1 smoked ham hock or ham shank the shank will have more meat
10 cups water
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
Hot sauce—optional to taste
Fresh lemon juice for garnish optional
Seeded tortilla chips for serving

Instructions

Measure the oil into a 10-quart soup pot. Heat over medium flame for a minute or so; add crushed red pepper and garlic, cooking for 30 seconds. Tip in the onions and celery. Season with two teaspoons kosher salt, one teaspoon fresh ground pepper, the thyme, oregano, and bay leaves. Let cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softening.
Stir in the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, all of the peas except ½ cup, ham hock, water, and chicken broth. Cover, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce to simmer, and cook 30 minutes. Add the reserved peas. Cook until vegetables are tender (a few peas should have a little bite) and soup is thickened—another 30-40 minutes. Stir regularly throughout cooking time and add a little more water or broth if the soup becomes too thick before it is done.
Taste and adjust seasonings, adding a shake or two of hot sauce to taste. Remove ham hock or shank and let cool briefly. Chop the meat and return it to the pot; discard the hock. Serve hot garnished with a squeeze of fresh lemon or homemade croutons if you like. Serve the seeded tortilla chips on the side.

Notes

STORAGE: Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge and 4-6 months in the freezer in covered airtight containers or freezer bags.