Green Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham Hock

What you need

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 400 g (2 cups) dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed; no soaking needed
• 1 smoked ham hock, about 600 g (1 1/4 lb)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2.2 l (9 cups) water, cold
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• salt, to taste, added at the end

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery.

2. 2

   Cook, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent, 8-10 min. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min.

3. 3

   Add the split peas, ham hock, bay leaves, thyme and water. Set over high heat until it boils.

4. 4

   Skim off the gray foam that rises. Lower the heat, partly cover and simmer gently, stirring every 15 min so the peas do not stick to the bottom.

5. 5

   Cook for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours, until the peas have collapsed into a thick soup and the ham hock is cooked through, its meat pulling easily away from the bone.

6. 6

   Lift out the ham hock and bay leaves. Let the hock cool for a few minutes, then pull the meat off, discarding the skin, fat and bone, and chop it into small pieces.

7. 7

   For a smoother soup, purée about a third of it with an immersion blender or beat it hard with a whisk. Leave the rest chunky.

8. 8

   Return the meat to the pot and heat through. Thin with hot water if the soup is too thick, since it stiffens as it stands.

9. 9

   Season with black pepper, then taste and add salt a little at a time. The ham hock is already salty.

10. 10

    Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Imported from mashed.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.