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Linda Blair’s Simple Stove Top Split Pea Soup

>Double batch in [brackets]<

Ingredients

To start:
2 [4] cups dried split peas, (≈1 [2] pound), sorted and rinsed
6½ [13] cups liquid (water or chicken broth, (or water plus 6½ [13] tsp bouillon)
1 [2] tsp garlic powder
⅓ [⅔] tsp dried thyme
⅓ [⅔] tsp crushed dried rosemary
1 [2] tsp salt
¼ [½] teaspoon pepper

Add half way through:
¾ [1½] cup chopped large onion, about ½ [1] large onion
¾ [1½] cup finely chopped celery, about 2 [4] medium stalks
1¼ [2½] cups carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices, or julienned, about 3 [6] medium carrots
1 [2] lbs julienned ham)

Steps

1. Preparing split peas for cooking is easy! Just pick over the dried split peas and discard any grit or discolored peas. Place the split peas in a bowl, and cover them with water. After a minute or two, remove any skins or split peas that float to the top. Finally, rinse the split peas in a colander.
2. Add rinsed peas to [6½ [13] cups liquid (water, chicken broth or bouillon). Stir well.
3. Bring to a boil (High), reduce to gentle boil (On my stove ⅔ of the way between Low and Med Low) and cover for 3 hours, stirring occasionally
4. Use an immersion blender to coarsely break up the peas if needed.
5. Add all other ingredients.
6. Cover and simmer 5 to 7 hours, stirring occasionally
7. Stir well before serving

Expert Tips

• For peas that have been stored for years, soak overnight, drain and rinse before use.
• Used a heavy bottom pot to limit hotspots, stir occasionally throughout.
• Buy a spiral cut ham, half the work of julienning is already done!
• Serve a grainy cornbread (don’t forget the honey butter or drizzle of maple syrup) and a spinach salad with fresh grapefruit or mandarin segments with the soup. The tart freshness of the citrus contrasts nicely with the rich, thick soup.
• We like ours with a lot of black pepper on the top and a splash or two of Tabasco!