A little spring cleaning was needed in my freezer after the holidays and January visit from relatives. I found some cubes of ham and a bone. There was also a package of chicken bones (I throw hardly anything away) left over when I boned a chicken last week. I roasted the bones with some chopped onions, carrots, and celery and then simmered the ham and chicken bones with the veggies in a large pot, about 4 quarts of water. Add some salt and pepper but remember, this is not the final product. The broth was drained through a sieve and discard everything else, it has served it's purpose. Chill in the fridge over night makes it easier to get rid of the fat. I then got busy making two soups.
Split Pea with Ham
1 lb of dried split peas, rinsed and sorted
2 quarts of broth
1 small onion, chopped
3 carrots, grated
3 stalks of celery, chopped
about 1 1/2 cups of chopped ham
salt and pepper to taste (careful with the sauce as the broth is sure to have seasoning)
Bring all to a simmer and cook uncovered until the peas are no longer peas, about 2 hours. If it gets too thick add some canned chicken broth or a bit of water. Adjust the seasonings and serve. We like cornbread to accompany it be it can be a first course if you wish. This soup freezes quite well and since it's just me and my honey, I freeze up separate containers for a future lunch.
The next soup is Artichoke Potato Puree and that post will be along any day now.
