As a mom, I now declare that all soups should be named by their color! When we call them by their contents; squash, tomato, broccoli, potato & leek, and split pea, we give kids a chance to think “eww vegetable”. However, if we say “yeah it’s green soup tonight for dinner”. You’ll hear yeah green! OK, I know I know there are many kids that are smarter than that and it only works with creamed or puréed soups, but it has worked wonders with my toddlers.
A year ago my mother was visiting. I made a pot of potato leek soup and when I served it to my kids they heard “leek” and didn’t touch it. The next day I came home to hear them yapping about Grandma’s yummy “white soup”. Really?!, I thought. They continued to eat bowl upon bowl of Grandma’s “white soup” and none of my potato leek. So not only did she have the success of feeding them, but she also got credit for it–unbelievable.
This is a great versatile split pea recipe because you can make it off any smoked ham bone. Every time I make honey ham, for Easter or other times, I use the left over bone to make split-pea. I also love to make this soup with ham hocks or shanks that I find in either the meat section or the frozen meat section. This is a healthy and hardy soup. So without much further ado, this is my recipe for “Green Soup”, aka Split Pea Soup and one of my family’s favorite.
1 pound split peas, picked over and rinsed
3 medium smoked ham hocks, smoked shank, or spiral ham bone
1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
salt
2 quarts water
2 carrots, peeled and chopped medium
2 onions, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped medium
6 ounces meat from bones, or deli hame sliced 1/2 inch thick
1. Bring peas, ham bone(s), thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and water to a simmer in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
2. Stir in the carrots, onions, and celery. Continue to simmer until the peas have broken down and the vegetables have softened, about 25 to 35 minutes.
3. Remove the hocks, let it cool. Remove any extra meat from the bones, discard any fat, skin or bones and set aside.
4. Working in batches purée peas and vegetables in a blender or food processor. Return to pot, add any meat from the bones or additional deli ham and reheat.
Soup can store for about 3 days in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. Soup will be thick in cold state. Reheating thins it, however if it’s too thick thin it with water.
- 1 pound split peas, picked over and rinsed
- 3 medium smoked ham hocks, smoked shank, or spiral ham bone
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- salt
- 2 quarts water
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped medium
- 2 onions, minced
- 2 ribs celery, chopped medium
- 6 ounces meat from bones, or deli hame sliced ½ inch thick
- Bring peas, ham bone(s), thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and water to a simmer in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
- Stir in the carrots, onions, and celery. Continue to simmer until the peas have broken down and the vegetables have softened, about 25 to 35 minutes.
- Remove the hocks, let it cool. Remove any extra meat from the bones, discard any fat, skin or bones and set aside.
- Working in batches purée peas and vegetables in a blender or food processor. Return to pot, add any meat from the bones or additional deli ham and reheat.
- Soup can store for about 3 days in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. Soup will be thick in cold state. Reheating thins it, however if it's too thick thin it with water.