Rustic Split Pea & Ham Soup
A terrific cool weather ham recipe, this pea and ham soup is a really neat way to use up leftover ham!
Pea and Ham Soup Ingredients
1 lb (or 450g) ham steak, diced
1 lb (or 450g) dried split peas, rinsed
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
1 large potato, peeled & diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
Pea and Ham Soup Directions
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over a medium heat.
Add the onion, then stir and cook until just tender.
Add the garlic and ham, then stir and cook for a further minute.
Add the stock, split peas and bay leaf.
Add the salt & pepper to taste.
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir.
Cook for 90 - 120 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the carrots, potatoes and celery, then stir and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Take out the bay leaf.
Soup can be served piping hot as is, or you can thicken the soup slightly by mixing with an immersion blender for 5 seconds.
Serve with crusty bread.
Serves: 6.