Traditional Split Pea Soup from my Childhood

Split Pea Soup

When I was growing up, there were some holidays that my mother cooked a Ham. Those were great times, but nothing signaled a split pea soup any more than the ham bone sitting in the fridge ready to be rendered.

My mother would painstakingly prepare the ham bone and boil it down to make a broth, then add the split peas and what seemed to me like magic, produced one of my favorite soups. Usually, FI was the only one that did not get bored with this soup and always finished it up.

Fast forward to present day and I make this soup all the time. Usually, I'll scour the shops for smoked ham hocks and wait for the sales than off to the kitchen I'll go. Here is my take on a traditional split pea soup.
 

Here's what you will need:
1 smoked Ham Hock
1 Onion finely diced
2 cups of chicken stock
1 Cup of reserved Hock liquid
1 lb yellow split peas

I do a walkthrough of this recipe on my youtube Channel Click Here  

Process

Boil you Ham Hock in a pot, covered by about 2 inches of water.
After 60 to 90 minutes the meat should be falling off the bone, remove hock from water, reserve about 1 cup and let hock cool.
Dice Onion, and in another pot (or the same one cleaned) add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sweat the onions. Add some salt and pepper.
Once onions are translucent add about 2 cups of chicken stock and the split peas.
Gently boil until the peas are soft, then add the cup of the reserve, and continue to simmer until the peas start to break down. This should take 20 to 35 minutes, and be CAREFUL not to let them get too thick, add more chicken stock if this starts to happen.
Once the split pea soup gets broken down, add the ham, and season to taste.
Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy

Chef Mike