'Tis the season for soup!: Split pea

Recipe: Split pea with ham (or not) soup

Cold nights, hot soup. Yum. It's a great time of year to haul out the soup pot.



 Split pea soup is a classic that's easy to make and uses common ingredients. It's also versatile! Don't want to make it with ham? Use smoked chicken or turkey instead. Want to make it vegetarian? Leave the meat out altogether. Either way, it'll be delicious and perfect in front of a roaring fire. Or snuggled up on the sofa listening to records. Or, you know, whatever you like to do on a cold winter night!

Split Pea Soup with Ham (or not)

• 1/2 pound (8 oz. or 1 cup) split green peas, picked over. Split peas often include small stones, so look them over carefully.
• 1 medium smoked ham hock, cut in two or three pieces (or smoked chicken or turkey meat)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Sea salt
• 4 cups water
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped medium
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped medium
• 3 ounces deli ham or ham slice, chopped medium
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper

Put the peas, ham hock, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water in a medium soup pot or Dutch oven and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer, cover, and cook for about an hour, stirring now and then. Be sure to stir from the bottom of the pot so the peas don't stick.

Stir in the carrots, onions, and celery. Continue to simmer until the peas have softened and broken down so the soup is thickened, about 25 minutes.

Remove the ham hock and add the deli ham. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. When the hock is cool enough to handle, remove any meat and add it to the soup. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Split pea soup can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. That way you could make it on a weekend and have it ready to serve during the week when you're starving and don't have time to make dinner. Double the recipe if you want to make enough for several meals. Simply reheat the soup over low heat or in the microwave, adding a little water and stirring well if it's too thick.

Split pea soup is gluten-free, and is also vegetarian if made without the ham hock and deli ham.