for the love of soup: split pea & ham

Let's just have a recap about the wonders of soup:

• there is only one pot to wash up.
• you can make it ahead and freeze it.
• it's incredibly economical.
• there is only one pot to wash up.
• whether they're 2 or 82.....they'll love it.
• you feel full of domestic virtue and pioneer spirit for providing your family such hearty, rustic, health-filled fare.
• there is only one pot to wash up.

As usual, the lovely Stephanie is the first one to whom I turn when I require the nurturing best.

This is her recipe.

The woman knows her way around vegetables like nobody's business.

Stephanie Alexander's Split Pea & Ham Soup.

400g split peas

1 large onion

2 carrots

500g bacon bones or 1 smoked ham hock

3 litres cold water

3 cloves garlic peeled

1 bay leaf

1 generous sprig thyme

freshly ground black pepper

************

Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring slowly to simmering point.

Put lid on ajar and simmer for one and a half hours.

Remove ham hock.

Puree soup with a stick blender or a food processor.

A stick blender does the job beautifully...and again - minimal washing up.

Discard skin of ham hock then dice meat.

Return diced meat to the pureed soup mixture.

I only had miserly, small onions so I used two.

Also, no fresh thyme, so used a liberal dose of the dried stuff.

I was hardly going to venture out in the Bongo Bus in driving rain just for fresh thyme.

That would have defeated the purpose entirely.

You've got to go with what you've got, right?

It doesn't look too promising does it?

Hang in there.

The importance of sippets.

Sippets are cubes of bread fried in olive oil.

They take about one minute to make and increase the fabulousness factor of your soup no end.

Just do it once....just to try it.

This also means you don't have to serve extra bread with the soup.

The finished product.

Delish.

Even the ravenous 6ft, 12 year old JD loved it after miserably wet rugby training.

With much ladle love,

Meredy xo

p.s. I had coloured my writing but for some reason blogger won't allow it.

What's going on in blogger world? I demand my rainbow colours back!!