Pea Soup
2 cups dried peas =
1lb bag, wash and sort peas
3 tablespoons
unsalted
butter
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup finely chopped
celery
1/2 cup finely chopped
carrots
2 teaspoons minced
garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed
red pepper
flakes
8 cups water or
broth from boiled dinner
see instructions below
1
bay leaf
1 teaspoons fresh
thyme
1 cup chopped ham unless your bone is real meaty.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
Add
the
onions,
celery and carrots and cook, stirring, until just soft, about 3 minutes. Add
the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add 8 cups of water, peas, ham bone, the bay leaf and thyme, and cook,
stirring occasionally, until the
peas
are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Add more water as needed, if the soup becomes
too thick or dry.)
Remove ham bone, get any ham you can off it and add back to soup along with
1 cup of chopped ham.
Use an immersible hand blender, or transfer soup to the blender, to make
the soup more creamy. I only blend a little bit to cream some of the peas, yet
leave some intact and chunky. I like that combination.
New England Boiled
Dinner method:
If you are so lucky to have made a
boiled dinner
and smart enough to save the broth, bone with meat still on it
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
Add
the
onions,
celery and carrots and cook, stirring, until just soft, about 3 minutes. Add
the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Then add boiled dinner broth and bone.
Bring to boiling; simmer 1 1/2 hours.
Remove boiled dinner bone, get any meat you can off it and add back to
soup along with 1 cup of chopped meat.
A traditional New England dinner is with smoked shoulder. You can use a smoked shoulder or corn beef
for this method.
Slowcooker Method
Put all the ingredients in the crock-pot. Cover and cook on low about 8
hrs or on high about 4 hrs.
Remove ham bone, get any ham you can off it and add back to soup along with
1 cup of chopped ham.
Use an immersible hand blender, or transfer soup to the blender, to make
the soup more creamy. I only blend a little bit to cream some of the peas, yet
leave some intact and chunky. I like that combination.