Pea Soup

Ingredients:

▢2 cups dried green or yellow peas (14 oz)
▢1 meaty ham bone or 2 cups diced leftover ham
▢4 cups chicken broth
▢4 cups water or additional broth if desired
▢ 2 tsp Dried parsley
▢1 laurel leaf
▢3 rib field, diced
▢2 Carrots, diced
▢1 Large onion, rolled
▢½ teaspoon of black pepper
▢½ teaspoon of dried thyme

Instructions:
Sort the peas to ensure there are no leftovers. Rinse well and drain.
In a large pot, combine the peas, ham, water, stock, parsley and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour.
Add celery, carrots, onion, pepper, thyme and salt.Cover and simmer for another 45 minutes.
Remove the bone from the ham and chop the meat. Return the meat to the soup and cook, uncovered, until thickened, the peas have broken down and the soup has thickened, about 20 minutes more.
Discard the bay leaf and season with additional salt and pepper.

Serves 6

Notes
This recipe does not require soaking the peas.If you want, add 2 more minced garlic cloves to the vegetables.
Remove the meaty ham bone and replace with diced or chopped leftover ham. If you don’t have a ham bone, substitute at least 2 cups of water with additional broth for flavor.
Thicken the pea soup by cooking it for a longer period without a lid. If you are short on time, some of the peas can be pureed or pureed.Store cooked pea soup in the refrigerator for about 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.