Buckytom's Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

buckytom

Grill Master
Buckytom's Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

this is the recipe from my first attempt at split pea soup, which got rave reviews at home. it was my attempt to remake one of my mil's best dishes, and dw said it was the closest anyone has ever gotten.


ingredients:
1 large ham bone, leftover from a roast
2+ cups cubed ham, reserved from the roast
1 cup cubed fat, the good white stuff from under the skin of the ham (you can substitute fatty bacon or salt pork)
3 large white onions, diced 1/4"
4 large carrots, diced 1/2"
4 celery stalks, diced 1/4"
4 cans (14 oz.) of chicken stock
4+ cups of water (you can add more to make it thinner later)
2 lbs. green split peas
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, about 5" long
4 bay leaves
croutons
white pepper to taste

directions:

in a large skillet over medium heat, render the oil from about half of the ham fat until it becomes crisp, remove crisped fat (wrap in paper towel and hide for a treat for yourself when no one's looking), and sweat the onions. when beginning to become translucent, deglaze with a half can of chicken stock, and transfer to crock pot.

render the rest of the fat until crisp, hide the rest of the crisped fat in a place that someone who's looking for it will find it, and sweat the celery and carrots a little in the remaining oil, deglaze with the other half of the can of chicken stock, and transfer to crock pot.

while sweating the veggies, pick thru to remove stones and rinse the split peas. add to crock pot, along with the rest of the stock and water. stir the veggies, stock, water, and peas. nestle the ham bone into the peas, as well as the bay leaves and the sprig of rosemary, cut in two.

set the crock pot on high, and don't touch it for about 4 hours. stir in the reserved cubed ham, and let it cook for about a half hour. if it's too thick, add 1/2 cup of water at a time and stir in well to reach the desired consistency.

serve in large bowls, topped with croutons and white pepper to taste.
 

lilylove

Active member
Love to share a bowl with you Bucky!! ( well, I'd like my own bowl but would love to eat at the same table with ya!)
 

buckytom

Grill Master
the next time that i make it i'll be sure to take pics, buzz.

lll, you know there's always a seat a my table for you and paulie.

homey, i normally don't like rosemary because it tends to take over just about any dish that it's added to, but the soup is so thick it becomes a background flavour in this one.

lemme know if anyone makes it, ok?
like i'd mentioned, dw said this was the closest anyone's ever come to her mom's stovetop version, which is a huge compliment. i think it's because her mom used a piece of fat back to start, and i used the fat from under the skin of the ham. she made it every year the week after easter like clockwork.
 

chowhound

New member
I'd like to try it, but I never buy whole hams and have the bone leftover. Maybe add a smoked hock?
And I'm afraid I'll forget where I stashed all that fried ham fat around the house :^/
 

buckytom

Grill Master
why yes, it should, chow. the smoked hock will add another dimension, too. i've used a leftover smoked ham bone and meat before with good results.
be sure to render some fat back or salt pork for the best flavor to start.

hmm, that reminds me that i should write down and post the recipe for my crudite soup. the season of big, leftover but untouched crudite platters is about to start. that is that my company caters lunches and dinners on the weekends during football season, and often there are platters left over that no one has put their grubby hands in. so the last few times that i "obtained" one of the leftover crudite platters (before the cleaning guys chucked them out on sunday nights), i made a soup using smoked hocks, dried shiitakes, and the veggies. the smoke flavour was key, or otherwise it's just a veggie soup.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Mmmmm MMMMMMM!! The pea soup sounds delicious, BT, and I, too, like the idea of a little rosemary in there.

I love Autumn for many reasons, among which is urge to make and eat soups and stews. Pea soup is one of my all-time favorites!

Great idea making soups of out of crudite platters. My boss just bought a huge one for an event we had last week, and I'm pretty sure no one touched it. A smokey something would be lovely in there. Perhaps a turkey leg or two!

Lee
 

buckytom

Grill Master
thanks qsis.

oh, i just remembered that my mil would sometimes add par boiled diced potatoes when the cubed ham was added towards the end. if you put it in too early, the spuds would just disintegrate.

btw, this is the ham that i used the last time that i made the soup. optimus prime helped me slice it...

img3164xky.jpg
 

suziquzie

New member
legogirl wants to know why Homer took her brother's Optimus.....
:)

Thanks for posting this.... soup season is coming 'round fast and I LOVE using the crockpot but I never find anything I love out of it!
 

homecook

New member
I made this soup the other day and had it for dinner yesterday, you really have to try it. It is really delicious! I made it exactly the way the recipe is written except for adding the potatoes that were added later. I don't think I would have added them anyway. The soup stands on it's own. The second pick is after it sat overnight, it thickens up. It's good both ways, thick and thin.
Great recipe bucky!!
 

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buckytom

Grill Master
very cool, homey, thanks. i'm glad you liked it. :clap:

hmm, mine never comes out thin; always thick. actually, dw says mine is a little too thick like in the second pic, but i prefer it that way.

did you do it on the stovetop or in a crock pot?

i think i'll be making this soon. i've been cleaning out my cupboard and there were 2 bags of split peas. jus' gotta get me a hambone.
 

homecook

New member
You're welcome. I actually did like it thicker. It was good both ways. I did it in the crockpot exactly like you said. lol

I've got 2 more ham bones in my freezer.........

Do you ever freeze this?? I'm the only one that will eat it and there is a ton left.
 

buckytom

Grill Master
my crock pot must be leakier than yours as it allows more evaporation. :mellow:

and yes, i always freeze the leftovers. i usually end up with an extra quart or three.


oh, i just remembered one more thing. you have to have it with croutons. they add another layer of flavour with their crunch. dw and her mom always made "fresh" croutons to go with this.
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
btw, this is the ham that i used the last time that i made the soup. optimus prime helped me slice it...

img3164xky.jpg
Hey, how come you got the good Transformers, BT???? My house is lousy with them, but they only do bad things. One of them flushed a bar of soap down the toilet last night and it overflowed. (At least, that's what Fisher said happened....)
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
I made this recipe close to the way it was written and it's a VAT of pea soup! I did have a meaty ham bone in addition to the 2+ cups of diced ham. I really liked that it had no potatoes - absolutely no need for them.

Froze 2 quarts, gave 2 away pints away. Saved some for dinner and lunch this week.

Perfect meal, with a glass of Malbec, on a cold winter's night. Thanks, Buckytom, wherever you are!

Lee

pea soup.jpeg
 
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