One dish I really enjoy on a cold winters evening is a big bowl of hot soup. I was rummaging through some really old cook books and came across this recipe scribbled on the back cover of one of the books. Although I already have a great split pea soup recipe, I decided to give it a try. This soup was thick and creamy with a hint of smokiness. The recipe does call for salt but I would recommend tasting it first as the ham bone and chicken base contain a good amount of salt .

Smoky Split Pea Soup

Recipe by Diane BeckerCourse: Soups

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1 lb bag of dried split peas
9 cups cold water
1 meaty ham bone
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 large ribs of celery, diced small
2 large carrots, diced small
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons chicken base (or 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
½ teaspoon salt (if needed)

Directions

Rinse peas and place them in a stock pot. Add the 9 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let rest for 1 hour.
Whiles the peas are resting, put the olive oil and butter in a skillet, add the onions, celery and carrots and sauté for 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Remove from heat. When the peas have finished resting, add the ham bone, sautéed veggies, bay leaves, chicken base, black pepper,, thyme and liquid smoke to the pot. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves and ham bone. Remove meat from the bone and add the meat back to the soup. Add salt (if needed) and serve.