Winter had finally hit! When my husband was asked what he wanted for dinner he replied, “This cold weather calls for some kind of soup.” He jumped all over my suggestion of Pea and Ham soup, minus the ham. Well, I did add ham but I wanted to be able to eat it too so added pan-fried chunks of ham at the serving stage.

2 1/4 cups dried Split Peas (1 lb/454gm) sorted and rinsed
8 cups Water
2 McCormick’s Vegetable Stock cubes
1 large Onion, diced
2 stalks of Celery, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Tarragon
3/4 teaspoon Thyme
3 carrots, grated

200 grams thickly sliced Ham, chopped

In large stock pot saute the onion in a bit of olive oil until soft.
Stir in chopped celery, tarragon and thyme and continue cooking for a few minutes.
Add split peas, water, pepper, grated carrots and vegetable stock cubes and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
I used an immersion blender to break down some of the split peas. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a potato masher.
About 15 minutes before serving, pan fry the chopped ham over med-high heat until heated through and lightly browned.
Ladle soup into each bowl, add ham, if desired.
Top with freshly ground black pepper

8 servings

Original Recipe :
Crocker, Betty. “Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook.” Recipe. Split Pea Soup.  Minneapolis, Minnesota: Macmillan, 1996,