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Split Pea and Ham Hock Soup

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food" by Rick Rodgers


Recipe Introduction

"Thick and warming, split pea soup with little chunks of ham seems to have been created to warm your insides on the coldest day. Simmering ham hocks to make a broth gives the soup great flavor, but because there isn't much meat on the bones, the soup is also bolstered with diced smoked ham."

List of Ingredients

◦  1 Tbsp canola oil
◦  2 yellow onions, chopped
◦  2 celery stalks, diced
◦  2 carrots, diced
◦  1½ pounds smoked ham hocks, each sawed by the butcher crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces
◦  2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
◦  ¼ tsp black peppercorns
◦  1 bay leaf
◦  1 pound dried split green peas
◦  2 Tbsp unsalted butter
◦  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
◦  8 ounces smoked ham, cut into bite-sized pieces


Recipe

To make the ham hock stock, in a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add half the onions, half the celery, and half the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the ham hocks, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf, and pour in 2 quarts cold water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the meat is tender and beginning to fall from the bones, about 1½ hours.

Strain the stock through a colander into a large bowl. Set aside the ham hocks to cool and discard the other solids in the colander. Measure the stock - you should have 7 cups, so add water if needed. Rinse out the soup pot.

Rinse and drain the peas. Pick them over, discarding any misshapen beans or stones.

Melt the butter in the soup pot over medium heat. Add the remaining half of the onions, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the split peas and stock. Add more water, if needed, to cover the ingredients by 1 inch. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the split peas are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Remove the meat from the ham hocks and discard the bones.
Dice the meat into ½-inch pieces. Add to the soup with the smoked ham. Continue cooking until the peas are very tender and the soup is thick, about 10 minutes more. Serve at once.


Makes 8 servings