Since I’m currently up to my eyeballs in sick children, homework, housework, and fall-welcoming interpretive dances, my lovely Mom is here again with one of the classics – pea soup! This stuff is thick, green, fragrant, and absolutely soul warming. I happen to have a ham bone in the freezer to be made into exactly this recipe, and I can’t even tell you how happy I am to have “soup season” back, which means soup for dinner at least once a week!
Thanks for being here, Mom!
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I love big family dinners. As a family we have always marked special occasions such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving with a traditional festal dinner. I love preparing them and eating them, and I especially love sitting around a table and sharing a special
dinner with those nearest and dearest to my heart…as long as they will help with dishes. I don’t love doing dishes.
Even though our family now lives separated by a few provinces, 3 daughters with their own families out in B.C. and 2 daughters starting on their own families here in Ontario, we still have been blessed with special occasions when we can all be together for a big family dinner. Mind you, when we are all together now the emphasis lands more on the ‘big family’ part, so our gatherings are now often held sitting around a large room together rather than around a table! No matter. The important parts are there…close family, great
conversation, and good food, all enjoyed with thankfulness to the Lord for the blessings He gives.
But adjustments have had to be made. Many an Easter dinner or Thanksgiving dinner have seen the family separated by distance, and the table holding a much smaller family gathering of 6, instead of more than 20. Again, no matter. If it is Christmas or Thanksgiving, I will still make a turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce. If it is Easter, I will still make a big ham with applesauce. Makes me wonder if I will still do it, if it ever comes to a time when only my husband and I are at the table.
I think the answer is yes.
The reason is one other thing about big dinners I love…leftovers. And not just any leftovers! I want the carcass from the turkey so I can make turkey noodle soup. And I want the bone from the ham so I can make this pea soup. It just wouldn’t be the same without the ham bone, with lots of meat still left on it to chop up after and add to the soup.
Anna always says Carl doesn’t like pea soup. I truly can’t imagine anyone trying this soup and not loving it. I shall have to make it for him next time he is visiting and try a little mother-in-law guilt trip to get him to eat it. I’m sure he could be converted into a pea soup lover. (Mom, you’ll be happy to know he has in fact eaten and enjoyed pea soup now – a good wife guilt trip (you won’t even TRY what I SLAVED over?!) works wonders too ;))
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 each carrots and celery stalks, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 ham bone with some ham remaining on it
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups water
- 1½-2 cups dry green or yellow split peas, rinsed (2 cups if you like it very thick)
- In large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat oil over medium-low heat; sauté onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper until onion is softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add ham bone, stock, water and peas. Bring to a boil, skimming off foam that comes to the top. Cover and simmer 1½-2 hours.
- Remove pan from heat. Take out ham bone and any chunks that have fallen off of it. Purée soup to desired consistency.
- Remove any meat on ham bone; chop and add to soup.
*Source: Adapted from an old Canadian Living magazine somewhere…
Thank you! I’ve never made peasoup with bone -in ham…now I have :-)
That’s great! Doesn’t it make your house smell goooood?