Pea Soup

Description

I have never been a huge fan of split pea soup. My mom can tell you stories about how she would try to get me to eat it. One time I even threw-up split pea soup after eating half a bowl. I just never liked it. When Andy and I were dating, we were planning on eating dinner one night with Dan and Heather. I found out that she was serving split pea soup. I was not looking forward to that. I kept trying to mentally prepare myself to eat the soup. When I got to their place, I saw that Dan was pureeing the soup and then they made sure they salted their soup really well. I hesitantly took my first spoonful of split pea soup, and I found myself eating two huge bowls of it for dinner! It was amazing! So here is the recipe, and I love to make and eat this soup. YUMMY! Thanks Heather!

Ingredients

8 c

water

2 1⁄4 c

split peas (This equates to a 1 lb. bag)

3 t

salt (Or to taste--I put in more salt than what is written)

1 t

pepper

3 T

butter

celery stalks, chopped

onion, chopped

2 c

ham, chopped (You can use leftover baked ham or thick sliced ham.)

Instructions

Bring water to boil. Rinse and drain peas. Add everything except for 1 1/2 c. ham to boiling water. Cover and simmer for 3 hrs, stirring occassionally. **The 3 hrs. is important because 2 hours is not enough. The peas will still be gritty tasting, and don't puree as well.Puree when done cooking for a smooth, creamy texture, and add the rest of the ham. Let the ham sit for at least 5 minutes in hot soup before serving.

Source: Heather Wildey
Prep time: 15 minutes	Cooking time: 3 hours	Total time: 3 1⁄4 hours