Split Pea Soup

Kurt loves split pea soup!  He asks for this when the weather gets all "soupy" outside.

And I'm happy to oblige.  Just a little side note: this is one of those recipes that you can fudge on the ingredients - use what you have on hand.  Although I LOVE the ham, we didn't have any tonight, so I'm using chicken.  Have to add more salt, but still yummy.  And I used yellow split peas (don't ask why we had those around - I couldn't tel ya.)  This version is easy and comes from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups dried split peas
• 2 quarts cold water
• 1 1/2 pounds ham bone
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch dried marjoram
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 potato, diced

Directions

1. In a large stock pot, cover peas with 2 quarts cold water and soak overnight. If you need a faster method, simmer the peas gently for 2 minutes, and then soak for l hour.
2. Once peas are soaked, add ham bone, onion, salt, pepper and marjoram. Cover, bring to boil and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove bone; cut off meat, dice and return meat to soup. Add celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook slowly, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 310 | Total Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0mg