hello, september! recipe: split pea soup

I’m not sure why, but I always dread the end of summer. And then September hits and I’m like… oh wait, this is awesome. Except for the incessant  get-Earth-Wind-And-Fire-stuck-in-my-head ordeal. I won’t post the video. It will be in your head for days. DAYS.

Tony and I just got back from a wonderful week in Nashville, only to discover that it’s “sweatshirt weather.” (Sweatshirt weather: the time of year for Wisconsinites that follows summer, precedes maybe one or two random 84-degree days, and ultimately signals the imminent beginning of 5 months of winter… any day now..)

Sweatshirt weather = soup. I decided to bust out one of my favorite soup recipes. It’s super good, and fool-proof… which are two of the most important recipes in most of my favorite recipes.

SLOW-COOKER SPLIT PEA SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed
• 1 meaty hambone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 tbsp. sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. fresh pepper
• 1 1/2 qts. hot water

Preparation:

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; pour in water. Do not stir ingredients. ((Seriously, don’t. It will be fine. It looks weird, but then when it’s “time” and you can stir it, it all makes sense…))

Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off bone. Remove bones and bay leaf. Mash peas to thicken more, if you want.

Disclaimer: split pea soup does not photograph well. It is beautiful on the inside.

Sidenote: I added more garlic because I can never have enough garlic… and some diced shallots. I used cubed ham because I didn’t have a ham hock. Although I do love the word ham hock. Maybe next time…

Serve with warm cornbread or sourdough, and a good Fall microbrew. 😉

Tip: It’s good soup. Resist urge to eat 5 bowls, or entire loaf of aforementioned bread. Learn from my mistakes…