Split Pea Soup

Ok friends, this one has been a bone of contention (pun intended) at my house for a very long time. My husband absolutely loves split pea soup and I honestly have never had it. So when there’s a ham bone in the house, it magically disappears before the request can be made. I decided to try something new this year and surprise him with a batch and I have to confess, it tasted quite good!

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 ribs of celery, cleaned and diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1 carton chicken stock (I used unsalted because of the ham)
4 cups of water
1 bag dried split peas, rinsed well
4 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
1 meaty ham bone
1/3 cup diced ham
2 tbsp parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot (remember you’ll have to sit the bone in there to cook). Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes. Add the stock, water, bay leaves, some pepper and thyme. Put the ham bone in the pot and make sure it’s covered by the liquid. Add in the split peas. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer the soup for about 90 minutes. Remove the bone and shred off any meat that didn’t fall off in the simmering process. Add the diced ham and parsley. I waited till this point to add salt because I wanted to see how salty the ham made everything. Everything will continue to thicken up at this point.

I grabbed a cheese & garlic peasant bread at the grocery store and split it in half. I put slices of swiss cheese on the bottom half and, after putting the top back on, brushed the top of the loaf with melted butter before putting it in the air fryer for about 5 minutes at 370 degrees until the top was golden brown and the cheese was melted. I cut into slices and served on the side.

All in all, not a bad dinner. As a bonus, hubs said it tasted as good as his mother’s. So I did well!

Eat well friends!