One of my favorite soups is homemade split pea, it’s a winter warmer that can’t be beat.  I can’t stand the stuff in the can, but I love this recipe.  The base was taught to me by an ex-boyfriend.  And while that relationship had few positives, this was definitely something good I got out of the deal!

This recipe uses grated carrot and maple syrup for flavor, both of which give it a sweet finish.    The grated carrot dissolves into the soup, so for carrot non-fans, give it a try.  I added a small uncured ham shank this time, the shredded ham gives a wonderful salty taste that’s a great complement to the sweet.  If you’d rather do a vegetarian version, just leave it out but I’d suggest adding a bit of salt to taste.  I do not peel either the carrot or the potatoes.  This is because A) the most nutritious part of them is in the peel, and B) I am lazy.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups dried split peas
• 8 cups water
• 2 carrots, grated fine
• 3 medium white potatoes, diced into 1/2″ pieces
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• Ham hock or ham shank (or diced ham, if you can’t find the other) [optional]
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (real, not fake maple flavored corn syrup!)

Directions

1. Sort peas to remove rocks and discolored peas.
2. Soak peas in a bowl covered with cold water for an hour.
3. Strain through a colander and rinse.
4. Put the peas in a large pot with 8 cups cold water.  Add all ingredients except maple syrup.
5. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for approximately 4 hours or until peas are dissolved and the soup base is somewhat thickened.  It will thicken more after cooling.
6. Remove from heat.
7. If you used ham hock or ham shank, remove from the soup and let cool so you can touch it, then shred meat with a fork and remove bones/fat.  Return the shredded meat to the soup.
8. Add maple syrup.  Taste, add more maple syrup if you’d like.
9. Enjoy!