Ina Garten's Split Pea Soup


Okay so this is a recipe from The Barefoot Contessa, whom I absolutely adore! Every time I have tried any of her recipes, they come out great and its a hit at parties. I just made this soup tonight from left over ham. The original recipe is vegan but since I had leftover ham, I decided to use it to make the stock. Serve it with crusty bread or croutons. Forgot to take a picture of it but trust me, it is delish!


 Ingredients
2 cups yellow onions - chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic - about 3 cloves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 cups medium - diced carrots
2 cups medium - diced red potatoes with skin
2 pounds dried split peas
16 cups ham or chicken stock or water*
Smoked ham or croutons to serve with


Directions
If you are using left over ham from a holiday party, like a spiral cut ham, make a stock out of that by submerging water and 3-4 bay leaves in a 4 qt. pan. Let it come to a boil and then simmer for two and a half hours. Once cooled, remove the ham and strain the stock. The meat can be used in the soup, so carve it off the bone and cut into bite size pieces. It should yield about 3 quarts(12 cups) of stock.


In a 8 quart stock pot, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil with the salt, pepper and oregano. After about 10-15 minutes on medium heat, the onions will turn translucent.  Add the diced carrots, potatoes, stock and 1 1/2 pounds of the split peas. Bring to a boil and simmer for 40 min, partially covered. Then add the rest of the split peas and simmer for another 40 minutes or until the peas are tender. Mix in the reserved ham and serve hot with some crusty bread of sliced croutons.


*substitute vegetable stock or water for a vegan version and omit the addition of ham all together. It still tastes very hearty and delicious!