SOUP PARTY!

Split Green Pea Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

* split Green peas.

* Water to cover peas

* chopped onion

* chopped celery

* diced carrots

* 2 bay leaves

* 1 smoked ham hock (ask the people at the store for this odd item)

* 1 teaspoon thyme (optional)

* water

* salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

I have never used a recipe while making this soup. I watched my mom make it when I was a kid, now I can do it. There are no precise measurements. This soup is VERY forgiving. Provided you don't burn anything and it involves carrots, water, ham, peas and salt, chances are, it'll be awesome. The rest comes from trying it, and seeing what you like.

1. Wash and drain the peas. Make sure they aren't yellow peas. That will take you down the road to French Canadian pea soup, which is infinitely inferior. As far as the amount of peas, some people like thick soup, others not. I like thick soup so I really giver' with the peas. At least ¼ of the pot you plan to use should be filled with dry peas.

2. Put the peas in a big pot and let them soak. You don't have to do this, but it seems to help the cooking later on. Turn the pot to high, start boiling, skim the foam, and stir occasionally.

3. Next, Cut up all your celery, carrots and onions. As many as you'd like. (Personally I like it heavy on onions and carrots, light on the celery)

4. Add the smoked ham hock to the boiling peas. Boil the peas and ham. Add the vegetables, bay leaf and spices. Keep boiling until all the stuff gets soft.

5. Pull out the ham hoc and let it cool. Grab one of those hand blenders and have at that soup until it's smooth. If you don't have a hand blender, go buy one, they are cheap and come in handy while making soup. Try to keep some orange carrot lumps. They are fun for unexplained reasons. Texture maybe?

6. Cut all the meat off the bone, dice it, and put it in the soup.

7. Balance out your flavors with salt, pepper and anything else you'd like.

If it's thick enough to spread on toast, after cooling, you did a good job.