Split Pea Soup with Ham

A great soup for a Fall day and the day after that because it tastes even better after the flavors marry over night in the frig. I made this with open-faced ricotta sandwiches and it was tasty and very filling. You can omit the ham for a vegetarian soup, if you like.

Ingredients:

1 pound split peas, rinsed, picked over and drained

4 teaspoons- olive oil (or any cooking oil you have on hand)

2 carrots- peeled and diced

1- large onion (I omit white onion in anything and only use powder or dried onion flakes in place of…) same difference

1- celery stalk, chopped (or you can use celery salt, probably 2 tsp- or more to your taste)

1- 32 ounce vegetable broth

2 cups water

1/4 lb. ham- sliced into small bite sized pieces. (I bought two lean ham steaks and sliced those up)

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Place peas in a large sauce pan with enough water to cover them over by two inches and bring to a boil

Remove from heat and cover and let sit for 1 hour. Drain after the hour.

Heat oil in a large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Add your onions, carrots and celery and saute’ until softened about 5 minutes. Add peas, broth, water, ham and pepper.

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid, but stir occasionally to make sure it’s soupy and not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Do this for about 1 hour.

Serve hot with cheddar cheese cubes on top (optional) or just plain the way it is. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

*To reheat, add a little water to thin and reheat in a pan on the stove, stirring until warmed through.