Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

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buckytom

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this is the recipe from my first attempt at split pea soup, which got rave reviews at home. it was culled from about a dozen recipes, utilizing a leftover meaty/fatty ham bone.



ingredients:
1 large ham bone, leftover from a roast
2+ cups cubed ham, reserved from the roast
1 cup cubed fat, the good white stuff from under the skin of the ham (you can substitute fatty bacon or salt pork)
3 large white onions, diced 1/4"
4 large carrots, diced 1/2"
4 celery stalks, diced 1/4"
4 cans (14 oz.) of chicken stock
4+ cups of water (you can add more to make it thinner later)
2 lbs. green split peas
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, about 5" long
4 bay leaves
croutons
white pepper to taste

in a large skillet over medium heat, render the oil from about half of the ham fat until it becomes crisp, remove crisped fat (wrap in paper towel and hide for a treat for yourself when no one's looking), and sweat the onions. when beginning to become translucent, deglaze with a half can of chicken stock, and transfer to crock pot. render the rest of the fat until crisp, hide the rest of the crisped fat in a place that someone who's looking for it will find it, and sweat the celery and carrots a little in the remaining oil, deglaze with the other half of the can of chicken stock, and transfer to crock pot.

while sweating the veggies, pick thru to remove stones and rinse the split peas. add to crock pot, along with the rest of the stock and water. stir the veggies, stock, water, and peas. nestle the ham bone into the peas, as well as the bay leaves and the sprig of rosemary, cut in two.

set the crock pot on high, and don't touch it for about 4 hours. stir in the reserved cubed ham, and let it cook for about a half hour. if it's too thick, add 1/2 cup of water at a time and stir in well to reach the desired consistency.

serve in large bowls, topped with croutons and white pepper to taste.
 
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That is pretty much my recipe for pea soup. I do it in a big pot and it takes about 2 hours to cook. I also add some thyme, diced potatoes (near the end of cooking) a bunch of parsley and a handful of shredded cabbage if I have it. The latter really is a flavor additive.

I will add a tip which I have mentioned before. You can buy a ham bone at Honey Baked Hams that apparently has a massive amount of meat left on the bone.
 
thanks for posting bucky, I like to look at maybe 3 or 4 recipes when cooking some dishes. I like the 4 bay leaves

Looks like all the tweaking has been done..


Well, I might add some tomato juice,... just because I have a lot of it.

I have never made a pea/bean soup in the crock pot before.

Great looking recipe...
 
Candocook said:
I also add some thyme, diced potatoes (near the end of cooking) a bunch of parsley and a handful of shredded cabbage if I have it. The latter really is a flavor additive.

I like a few potatoes in mine, too. But I would never have thought of the cabbage...I'll bet that really IS good!
 
Sounds good. i make split pea soup regularly. I do not put celary or bay leaves, but do put potato. But that is my preference. Oh, also I use half and half of green and yelow peas. I like yelow one better.
 
so glad you posted this! The one, and only since, time I tried split pea soup was after I found out I was pregnant and went on a serious health kick, but also before I realized I had morning sickness... So, my opinion of split pea soup brings up lots of bittersweet memories! haha! I will definitely have to give it another shot, it is in my recipes collection as "Buckytom's Special Split Pea Soup"!!!
 
:) I love split pea soup the rosemary sounds really good to me also, I also love lentil soup the same ingredients will work for this soup , its funny you either love these soups or really hate them.
Did you know that the lentil is the oldest legume known to man?
 
This looks great. just printed it and will definitely be making it soon. I think I'd use the "cracklins" for a garnish with the croutons.
 
Cooked this soup up on Sunday, and it was just wonderful! Easy and fun, many thanks!
 
i'm making this tomorrow with my son using the leftover meat and bone from our easter ham. after an adult sweats the veggies, it's a really easy thing for young kids to "cook" since it only involves arranging ingredients in a crock pot and turning it on. the outcome is something of which they can be really proud.

we're going to see my parents on sunday, so i was trying to think of something to bring them in an easter basket. i think they'd love a gift from their 17th and (probably) final grandchild, and they love my pea soup.


i bumped this old thread because i'm printing it out, but also because i wanted to add that i've come to add par boiled, cubed potatoes near the end of the cooking time. dw's mom made it that way, and i like the little extra texture and taste of another starch in it.
 
This is a wonderful recipe that I've made countless times, and shared with my Pea Soup Loving friends! The only adjustment I've made is to brown the hambome before sweating the veggies, as it enhances the flavor. Thanks again, so much, for the wonderful recipe! Regards, DeeElle
 
i'm really glad you liked if d-l. it's a big hit here, and the best part is it's so easy to make.

how do you brown the bone? do you roast it? i usually put it in with meat still attached.
 
After rendering the first "cracklins" in a large skillet or dutch oven, I place the hambone, with any attached meat, gristle, etc, and brown it on all sides. That takes maybe 8 minutes, then sweat the onions, then maybe render the rest of the cracklins, to sweat the carrots and celery. It adds just a few minutes, but lots of flavor! I like the idea of adding potatoes near the end of cooking. As we're of Irish extraction, there's always room for "praties". Just lately, I realized I could use bouquet garni sacs to contain the rosemary. Not everyone wants rosemary needles in their soup, so I might do that for company. Just the other day I had the opportunity to share a pot with friends, and passed along this excellent recipe to each of them. It will be fun to see if they make any adjustments in process or additions.
 
this is the recipe from my first attempt at split pea soup, which got rave reviews at home. it was culled from about a dozen recipes, utilizing a leftover meaty/fatty ham bone.

My hubby has been begging for this kind of soup for a couple of years...lol...I'm terrified I'll screw it up!
 
Crockpot Pea Soup with Ham

PLease do make this soup! You'll both enjoy it. It's managable to make, fun to eat, and freezes beautifully, and it's really delicious!
 
My hubby has been begging for this kind of soup for a couple of years...lol...I'm terrified I'll screw it up!

It's easy, easy, easy! And the first soup I ever learned to make.

Here is an easy recipe... one of hundreds of variations, but a good one for a beginner:

Easy Split Pea Soup Recipe at Epicurious.com

And in place of the ham hocks, make it simple for yourself and use a smoked ham steak. It's inexpensive and a no-fuss way of getting that smoky ham flavor.

You might also consider adding a bay leaf (and don't forget to take it out before serving), but that's optional.

Have fun... you'll do fine! ;)
 
thanks for the link, selkie. you mean there's more than just my recipe for pea soup? :glare:
and who woulda thought of adding bay leaves...:wacko:



deeelle, i agree about the bouquet garni for the rosemary and bay leaves, i should have added that.
and i love the idea of garnishing with the cracklins, if they ever last that long, lol.
please let me know if your friends make this and any of their modifications. tia.


sfrewerd, this, umm, my recipe is super easy to make, and once again came out "perfect" in my wife's words, and she absolutely loves pea soup. she orders it anywhere it's on the menu, just about.
she was actually a little upset that i brought it all except for a pint or so down to my parents' today when we visited them.

i still have a lot of meat left from the ham and saved the still meaty bone, so i'm making a second batch later today.

since the ham we had this year was very lean, i had no fat to render so i just cooked 2 slices of thick sliced bacon to sweat the onions, and 2 more slices of thick bacon to sweat the onions and carrots.

also, i added about 3 or 4 cups of cubed, par boiled potatoes at the very end.

give it a try; you won't be disappointed. :chef:
 
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