Split Pea Soup
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https://instructions.wiki/recipes/split-pea-soup
Makes 8 · 15 min prep · 1 hr 35 min cooking
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 smoked ham hock (about 1 lb / 450 g) or a leftover ham bone with meat on it
- 10 cups (2.4 L) water or chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Rinse the peas
Tip the peas onto a sheet pan and pick out any small stones or shriveled pieces. Rinse them in a sieve under cold water. Split peas need no soaking. They have no skins to soften and they break down on their own, so an overnight soak buys nothing.
Soften the vegetables
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Simmer with the ham hock
Add the peas, ham hock, water or stock, bay leaves, and pepper. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then lower the heat and simmer partly covered for 60 to 90 minutes. Stir every 20 minutes and scrape the bottom, since the peas settle and scorch. The soup is done when the peas have dissolved completely and a spoonful holds its shape for a second before slumping.
Pull the meat off the bone
Lift out the hock and the bay leaves. When the hock is cool enough to handle, strip the meat, discard the skin, fat, and bone, and chop the meat. Return it to the pot.
Season and set the thickness
Add the salt, taste, and add more as needed. Smoked pork varies a lot in saltiness, so season only at this point. For a smoother pot, blend a few seconds with an immersion blender.
Reheating. The soup sets up dense in the refrigerator and can hold a spoon upright the next day. Thin each portion with stock or water over low heat until it pours again, then check the salt, which flattens after a night in the cold.