Split pea soup: Looks like barf, tastes delicious. Ever since I was little I've loved this soup, and I'm really not sure why. What kid likes something that looks like so sick?? Well, I did. I think I just loved the little bits of ham in it. SO tasty. And so, I thought that if it was good from a can, how much better would it be from scratch? Answer: A lot better. I think this soup is so so good, inexpensive, and pretty nutritious too. This recipe is simple and really easy. It basically makes itself! Thanks, Dave Lieberman, for a quality recipe.
1/4 cup olive oil (you could probably get by on less, but I did use the full 1/4 cup)
1 large onion, finely diced (I omitted this, of course)
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 pound bag split peas, rinsed and picked through
1 1/2 pound smoked ham hock
2 quarts chicken stock, water, or combination
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large saucepan, saute onion, celery and carrots over medium high heat. Add peas and ham hock and cover with stock by a couple inches. Bring to a simmer and cook about 1 hour until soup is thick and peas have almost disintegrated but not quite. Season to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove ham hock and let cool. Pull meat from ham hock bone and shred. Garnish with ham and pepper.
