Buy a pound of dried peas....wash them and pick out any stones and clods of dirt.
Into a heavy 4 qt sauce pan, place a smoked ham hock ( or a bone from a cooked ham...pea soup is a great thing to do with a ham bone) a small onion, chopped, and a crushed colve of garlic.
Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil and boil about 10 to 15 minutes.
Turn the heat down and add the washed peas and 1/4 cup finely grated carrot and cook until the peas are falling apart.....about 60 to 90 minutes.
Add a generous grinding of fresh pepper and taste for salt. Depending on how salty your ham hock is you may not need any.
Remove the ham hock and cut any meat off the bone, return the meat to the soup and discard the ham hock.

Alternatly, but not nearly as good....
Wash a pound of split peas, chop a small onion and add peas and onions to your pan, add a can of chicken broth and fill the can twice more with water and add to the pot....
Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke and cook until the peas are done....salt and pepper to taste.

Or....start like the first recipe, but only add 4 cups of water and omit the carrot and garlic. When the peas are soft, add 2 cups of milk and make a paste of 1 T flour kneaded with 2 tsps butter and add to the simmering soup after you have added the milk. Salt and pepper to taste.

Linda C

Thanks Linda, that sounds nice and easy!!

I puree a potato, carrot, onion, & celery with a little water and add that to the pea/ham/water mix.

DUTCH SPLIT PEA SOUP (serves 8)
1 lb dried split peas
1 shank or butt end of smoked ham (1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
1 pig's knuckle, smoked if possible
3 large onions, chopped coarsely
1 leek, thoroughly cleaned, halved lengthwise & sliced crosswise
2 celery ribs, chopped coarsely
2 carrots, chopped coarsely
1 potato, chopped coarsely
2 tsp thyme
Salt & freshly ground pepper
4 knockwurst, sliced
1 TBL hickory smoked slat, optional
14 cup chopped parsley

Soak peas overnight covered in water. Drain before starting the soup. Combine the ham & pig's knuckle with the peas & 3 qts water in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat & cook 30-40 minutes, skimming frequently.
Add the onions, leek, celery, carrots & potato. Add the thyme & season well with salt & pepper. Simmer slowly, uncovered for about 5 hours or until very thick, stirring occasionally.
Remove the knuckle & discard. Remove the ham, cut into pieces & return the soup with the sliced knockwurst 30 minutes before serving. Add the optioanl smoked salt & stir in the parsley. Serve with a hearty bread & butter.~~New York Entertains

Not "split" pea but a really good, easy pea soup:

(From one Indiana girl to another!)

{{!gwi}}

1 medium onion; minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds frozen peas
5 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream; whipped

Melt butter in a heavy, 4-quart saucepan; add onion and a sprinkle of salt and sauté until tender but not brown. Stir in peas and 3 cups of the broth; bring to a simmer and cook peas for eight minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 2 cups broth. Puree soup in 4 batches in blender with the top vented to allow steam to escape, until very smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot topped with whipped cream or at room temperature in the summer time.

*Kick up the flavor; place a smoked ham hock in a soup pot along with 1 cup of broth and 1/2 cup water. Cover pot and simmer until the meat on the bones falls off (this will take at least an hour). Remove hock and cool enough to remove meat and discard fat and bone. Make soup as above using liquid left in pot and adding broth to equal 3 cups, stir in peas and continue with recipe. Stir in chopped ham pieces after soup has been pureed.

Marilyn

Oh these all sound wonderful! Thank you all.

Next up...bean soup. :)

Here's one I made the other night that was very good:
2c green split peas
2 qts water
1# smoked ham hock
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
2 carrots
2c celery, chopped with leaves
1/2c chopped onion
2 frankfurters
2c beef consomme
1c milk

Combine water and peas and bring to a boil; add ham hock, bay leaf, and peppercorns and simmer for an hours
Peel and dice carrots, add with chopped onion and celery to soup and simmer one hour more. Remove ham and puree soup.Add chopped ham and frankfurters. Reheat soup, consomme,meat and milk. Simmer 20 minutes til hot and season to taste.
Serves 6
NYTimes Bread and Soup Cookbook
RL`