Tuesday, October 12, 2010

No Ham Bone

At Christmas time, my dad always received a honey baked ham from someone he did work with.  When the ham was gone, my mom would sometimes make split pea soup with the ham bone.  Over the years, I've tried unsuccessfully to make split pea soup and the reason it wasn't flavorful was simple:  no ham bone.

Well, I tried it again today (still no ham bone) and it turned out decent.  I think the amount of diced ham really helped.  It looked like a lot going into the crockpot, but the proportions were good in the final product.  I also think slow cooking yielded better results than making it on the stovetop.  I'd like to add another spice (just salt, pepper and bay leaf in this version) the next time I try it but I was undecided this morning about what that should be.  Celery seed?  Thyme?  Paprika?

One bonus about this recipe - super cheap to make for the yield.  I have no tips about vegetarian split pea soup because I haven't had any luck trying that in the past.

Look for more soup recipes coming your way - one of my favorite things to make during the fall and winter.

Split Pea Soup (makes about 8 cups)

16 oz bag dried split peas
2 cups diced ham (I used a little thicker cut of ham - not the thin deli sliced)
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped carrot
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 cups boiling water

Layer the ingredients in your slow cooker in the order listed (peas on the bottom, pour the boiling water over the top) and cook.  The original recipe (don't know where it's from) said 4-6 hours on high.  I did high for 3 hours, low for 2 hours, let it cool and reheated it at dinner time.  You basically want the vegetables to be soft, the soup to be thick, and nothing to burn to the bottom of your slow cooker.

7 comments:

  1. We stopped at Andersen's on our summer vacation, and of course I had the soup! My comment was, "It would be GREAT with ham." Ham-less just isn't as good.

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  2. wellshire farms makes a ham hock that i buy at whole foods that flavors the soup really well and yields enough ham to dice up for a batch!

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  3. i can't believe i actually got a post to work! i have tried so many times before - woohoo

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  4. Hi Bec! I have had good luck w/a little sour cream, cayenne pepper and a drizzle of balsamic. I love your recipes & pics..which I could give you a squeeze IRL! oxox

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  5. Erika - great tip on the ham hock!
    Jess - fun to see your comment - miss you too! love the flavoring ideas.

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  6. I need to try this! You can see a pic of Marissa making Baked Potato Soup with me on my blog in our crockpot. It was so-so. I think the recipe was too healthy;) I'm on a soup kick!

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  7. I loved this - made it this week and it was perfect. I added celery salt (your suggestion) and some sage. Loved the consistency and that I didn't have to put it through my ricer. This is a keeper.

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