Split Pea (and Ham) Soup

I ALSO love pea soup. Actually I pretty much love all soups. They make the house smell good and taste delicious and are a great way to use random extra leftovers you happen to have. This recipe is kind of a blend of various pea soup recipes from Real Simple, America’s Test Kitchen, and the one on the side of the dried split pea bag.

• 1 pound green split peas, picked over to remove any stones
• 1 ham bone (we keep this in the freezer)
• 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence (from Trader Joes), or- if you don’t have this you can just use dried thyme
• 2 32-ounce containers chicken broth, or some of this- can be water if you don’t have enough broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• About a cup of leftover ham, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the peas, ham bone, Herbs de Provence or thyme, broth/water, and bay leaf to a simmer in a large Dutch oven pot. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Discard bay leaf. Stir in the carrots, celery, and onion. Continue to simmer until the peas have softened and broken down, about 25-35 minutes. Remove the ham bone and add the chopped leftover ham. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. When the bone is cool enough to handle, remove any meat, discarding the fat and bone, and add the meat to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.