Tag: split pea soup

Slow Simmered Split Pea and Ham Soup

by Pam on April 7, 2014

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday was cold and rainy while today was 74 degrees and sunny. Since it was such a dreary day yesterday I made a batch of slow simmered split pea soup and a loaf of fresh baked bread (recipe to follow) along with my House salad^[1]. I was disappointed that the ham hock I used wasn’t very meaty so be sure to look at them carefully before buying them. Even though the soup didn’t have as much ham as we would have liked, it was still hearty and delicious.

Because peas are a natural product, they may sometimes have other stuff included. Pour the peas on a large plate and sift through them with your fingers to remove any foreign matter.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, & celery. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds before adding stock, split peas, ham hock, bay leaf and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cover and cook over low heat for at least 3-3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Slowly break up the ham from the bone a little every time you stir the soup then remove any fat or bone from the ham hock along the way.

Make sure all fat and bone have been remove from the soup. Taste and re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Remove the bay leaf and ladle into bowls. Serve with salad and bread if desired. Enjoy.

Print^[2]

Save^[3]

Slow Simmered Split Pea and Ham Soup

Yield: 10

Cook Time: 3-3.5 hours

Ingredients:

1 lb of dried split peas
2 tsp olive oil
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ham hock, extra fat remove from the outside of the hock
8 cups of chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, & celery. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds before adding stock, split peas, ham hock, bay leaf and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cover and cook over low heat for at least 3-3 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Slowly break up the ham from the bone a little every time you stir the soup then remove any fat or bone from the ham hock along the way.

Make sure all fat and bone have been remove from the soup. Taste and re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Remove the bay leaf and ladle into bowls. Serve with salad and bread if desired. Enjoy.

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

References

^{^} House salad (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Save to ZipList Recipe Box (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

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Homemade Croutons

Healthier homemade croutons made with whole grain bread, Italian seasoning and shredded parmesan cheese. These are so simple to make, with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

I love how the grains in the bread add a nutty texture to the croutons, so much better than white bread!

Once baked you can keep them in a ziplock bag to use for salads or soups (I love croutons in my split pea soup^[1]!) Be sure to use shredded Parmesan cheese so it sticks to the croutons when baked in the oven.

For this side salad, I chopped up some tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and romaine lettuce, and tossed it with my red wine tomato vinaigrette^[2].

Homemade Croutons
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 16 • Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 0 pts • Points+: 1 pts
Calories: 28.5 • Fat: 6.5 g • Protein: 2 g • Carb: 5 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Sugar: 0.7 g
Sodium: 47 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

olive oil spray (I used my mister)
6 slices 100% whole grain bread (I used Pepperidge Farm 15 grain)*
1 tsp garlic powder
sea salt, to taste
3-4 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or dried parsley)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat over to 300°F. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Remove the crust and cut the bread into small cubes.

Combine the garlic powder, salt and Italian seasoning in a medium bowl.

Spread the bread cubes on prepared cookie sheet in a single layer. Spray the top with more oil to coat and top with half of the seasoning and half of the shredded cheese; season with black pepper then bake for 14 minutes or until dry, crispy, and golden brown.

Turn the croutons over, spray a little more oil and sprinkle with remaining seasoning, black pepper and shredded cheese; bake for an additional 15 minutes until done. Store croutons in air-tight container or ziplock bag. Makes 4 cups. Enjoy!

*This should be about 5 1/2 oz after the crust is removed, before baking. This was calculated as such.

References

^{^} split pea soup (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} red wine tomato vinaigrette (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

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Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham

When I want a hearty bowl of split pea soup in a hurry, my pressure cooker is my best friend! Split pea soup is loaded with fiber, and it’s a comforting meal on a chilly night. I usually serve this with a slice of crusty bread, toasted and rubbed with a little garlic.

This soup is also my favorite way to use up leftover ham or a ham bone. It’s super easy, but not always super quick… unless you use a pressure cooker!

Using a pressure cooker cuts the cooking time by less than half and everything always tastes better for some reason. I’ve been using my pressure cooker for years; in South America it is widely popular to make soups, beans, and stews because it’s quick and saves on gas. I own a fancy electric one, but for some reason I still rather use my old stove top Presto.

When making soups and stews in the pressure cooker, very little liquid evaporates, so I usually cut the liquid down a bit. I found a great Pressure Cooker Cheat Sheet^[1] on Pressure Cooker For Dummies, if you own one and are scared of it, you might find this interesting.

I used Better than Bouillon, I love the flavor it adds to soups, but you can use chicken broth in it’s place if you prefer.

A few notes: Today is my 3rd day doing the Holiday Runner’s Streak (run at least 1 mile everyday until the Holidays, see 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World^[2]). It was really hard to get out of bed this morning, but I am happy I got it out of the way. How are you doing, still with me?

Also, now until Dec 2nd, Heather K Jones, RD created a One Month Skinnytaste meal plan (so many of you asked for this!) and is offering a fabulous health tool that will help you tap into the power of your own personality and arm you with the insight you need for ultimate weight loss success. Check out the Diet Type offer on Skinny Bits^[3] this week! The offer includes a jump start meal plan featuring Skinnytaste recipes, and a FREE copy the awesome healthy grocery shopping guide, The Grocery Cart Makeover.

By the way, this soup freezes well, leftovers are perfect for lunch or make a batch for once a month cooking.

Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 7
Calories: 254 • Fat: 2 g • Carb: 51.5 g • Fiber: 20 g • Protein: 24 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 694.5 mg (to reduce the sodium use less bouillon)

Ingredients:

1 lb dry green split peas
1 tsp olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 oz reduced sodium ham steak, diced (Boar’s Head)
6 cups water
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon or 1 cube*
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Rinse peas under cold water.

In a pressure cooker, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes. Add ham, peas, water, chicken bouillon and bay leaf and bring to a boil. When the liquid boils, cover and lock the lid and continue cooking until the pot reaches pressure, then reduce heat to low and set a timer for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes, shut the stove off and let the pressure cooker release the steam on it’s own. When the lid unlocks, adjust liquid if needed, taste for salt and pepper and remove bay leaf. If the soup looks like it should cook a little longer, you can let it simmer covered (unlocked) until it has reached your desired thickness.

To make without a pressure cooker, add 2 more cups water and simmer covered on low for 2 hours.
*Check labels for Gluten Free

References

^{^} Pressure Cooker Cheat Sheet (www.dummies.com)
^{^} 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World (www.runnersworld.com)
^{^} Diet Type offer on Skinny Bits (www.skinny-bits.com)