Split Pea Soup

:::waving to my big brother::::

Hey John, sorry to make your mouth water, and thanks for the call. Heres the recipe for the soup and dont forget what I told you about the 15 bean and Hambone soup:) Its a little wierd to think about 13 degrees in Alaska, and 80 here in CA.. I guess YOU should be eatting the soup and me BBQing!!

PS: I'm still cleaning the kitchen...grrrr I am SUCH a messy cook.

LYG

SPLIT PEA SOUP with Ham

1 16 oz bag green split peas
Ham Bone ( those honey baked ham bones make your mouth sing:)
1 c chopped celery
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 c diced onion
2 clove garlic minced
2 T olive oil
1 lrg potato peeled, diced
½ tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
4 c water
4 c chicken broth
½ cup cream or whole milk
*salt if needed


Sort and rinse peas. In a heavy 4 quart pot sauté onion, carrot, garlic, celery in olive oil until tender but not brown. ( do this with bacon grease sometime.. woohoo!)
add peas, ham bone, potato, pepper, water, broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and cover and simmer one hour.
Remove ham bone and let cool, then dice available meats (really small bites) and discard bone. (or give it to the poor salivating dog) discard bay leaf. In batches process pea soup in food processor until smooth. Return to pot, add meat back in, the cream, and cook 10 minutes stirring frequently until piping hot. Serve.

*Check for need of salt as Ham usually gives you plenty.