How did February slip by so quickly? One moment I was cooking and blogging, and the next I was bombarded with gigs. I got to play two concerts with tenor Andrea Bocelli. Ever since, I slunk into a culinary funk, and hardly cooked for 3 weeks. Happily, I've found motivation. Maybe it was the blustery wind and rain from this weekend. The weather put me in the mood for soup, and this version of pea soup totally hit the spot. It's not super-thick like some recipes, but hearty enough to take the chill of a cold day.
Split Pea and Ham Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons
adapted from The Best of America's Test Kitchen, 2012
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 lb dried, green split peas
1 ham hock
12 oz. ham steak
7 c water
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add onion, celery and carrots, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add peas, ham hock, ham steak, water, thyme and bay leaf. Turn heat up to high and bring to a low boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 1 ½ hours. Remove ham steak from soup, and let sit for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, dice the ham steak. Remove bay leaf and ham hock from soup and discard. Return ham to soup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pumpernickel Croutons
½ loaf of pumpernickel bread, cut into cubes
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place cubed bread in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat all pieces. Place bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and thyme. Bake until bread is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with soup.
3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 lb dried, green split peas
1 ham hock
12 oz. ham steak
7 c water
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add onion, celery and carrots, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add peas, ham hock, ham steak, water, thyme and bay leaf. Turn heat up to high and bring to a low boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 1 ½ hours. Remove ham steak from soup, and let sit for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, dice the ham steak. Remove bay leaf and ham hock from soup and discard. Return ham to soup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pumpernickel Croutons
½ loaf of pumpernickel bread, cut into cubes
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place cubed bread in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat all pieces. Place bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and thyme. Bake until bread is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with soup.
How exciting! Congrats on the gigs! The soup looks great, but I think I could make a meal of those croutons by themselves.... yum!
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