Split pea soup made with ham hock, onion, carrots and celery Split pea soup made with ham hock, onion, carrots and celery I have many fond memories of wintery afternoons at my grandmother’s house with split pea soup. This plain, old-fashioned soup was a typical example of my grandmother’s […]
Click here to view original web page at journalnow.com
I have many fond memories of wintery afternoons at my grandmother’s house with split pea soup.
This plain, old-fashioned soup was a typical example of my grandmother’s cooking: simple flavors, not highly seasoned, just a few ingredients.
But as all cooks learn, when you have good ingredients, you don’t need to do much with them.
Here, a ham bone or ham hock dominates, proving a perfect compliment to the peas, or any legume. The onion, celery and carrot are mere supporting players. I’d hesitate to leave any of them out completely, but there’s certainly room for tweaking with a little more of this one or a little less of that one.
The only other ingredients are salt and pepper. The soup really doesn’t need anything else. Sometimes simple is best.
Send requests or recipes to Recipe Swap, c/o Michael Hastings, Food Editor, Winston-Salem Journal, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101; or email to mhastings@wsjournal.com. Please include name, address and a daytime telephone number. Previously published recipes are available at www.journalnow.com.
1 ham hock or ham bone
3 quarts water
Salt
1 pound dried split peas
1 onion, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
Pepper
1. Bring water and ham hock or ham bone to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to an hour.
2. Taste the broth and add salt as needed. If the liquid has reduced a lot (to less than 10 cups), add a little water. Add split peas, onion, carrot and celery. Gently simmer until 1 hour, until tender.
3. Remove ham hock or bone. Puree vegetables and broth if desired. If mixture is thick, add a bit of water. Discard ham bone, fat and gristle. Pull and shred/chop any remaining ham meat and stir into pot. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Recipe from Michael Hastings
