This hearty, thick soup is a family favourite. Served with crusty bread, a little cheese and some fruit, it’s a meal in itself.
I’ve had the recipe for years, and am at a loss to know the original source. I suspect it was clipped from a newspaper article years ago, and as it’s been updated and transcribed a number of times, it has certainly stood the test of time.
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Split Pea Simmer
A thick, hearty soup made from the humble split pea.
- Total Time: 180
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 c dried green split peas
- 1 smoked ham hock (2 lbs)
- 1 stalk celery, chopped, with leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp thyme
- 2 c cubed rutabaga
- 1 c cubed celery
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 ½ tsp pepper
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse peas and ham hock; place in a stockpot or large saucepan along with 16 cups (4 l) water and celery. Bring to boil, skimming off foam. Add bay leaf and thyme. Reduce heat; simmer; covered for 2 hours or until peas and meat hock are tender, skimming off foam as necessary. Remove and discard celery and bay leaf. Remove ham hock; let cool. Pull off meat; discard bone, skin and fat. Cube meat; set aside. (Soup and meat can be prepared to this point and refrigerated in separate covered containers for up to 3 days.) Skim fat from soup.
- In a clean saucepan, combine split pea mixture with rutabaga, celery, carrots, onion, potato and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring often for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender, adding up to 1 cup more water if the soup is too thick. Return the ham to the soup. Season to taste.
- Prep Time: 30
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
Rutabaga?! A secret ingredient….I must try this!