I can't remember the last time I made ham and split pea soup. It's probably been 10 years, which is remarkable since it's my favorite cool weather soup. I just don’t understand why I haven’t made it in so long.I've made bean soup, lentil soup, rice soup, and potato soup dozens of times each over the last decade, but not split pea.
I've had leftover ham around countless times. I've ordered it in restaurants, so it's not like I forgot it existed. I'm sure I've even warmed up a can or two of Progresso at home, but
making a batch never crossed my mind. It's a soup mystery that now consumes me; which is very ironic if you think about it.Anyway, the important thing is that I made it, and it was everything I remembered homemade ham and split pea to be - a hearty, soul-warming bowl of dull green brilliance. No matter how often you make it, this has to be on everyone's top 10 soups of all-time list. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves sliced garlic
1 lb diced ham
1 lb split peas
1 quart chicken stock
2 1/2 cups water
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
63 comments:
A gunmbo recipe I use calls for the addition of 3 bay leaves. I made it without them the last time and could not taste any difference, is bay leaf really needed?
If you use 3 and can't taste them, they are very old and/or crappy bay leaves. Buy a new jar, and add one. Then the next time you make it don't, and then tell us the results.
WOW there is some major Food Karma going on or you felt my craving accross the country--I had just been dwelling about split pea soup this past week. Over the weekend I picked up a few bags of split peas to make this favorite soup and have some on hand for the winter. Oddly soup its the only way I will eat peas. I just can't eat them in their little ball form, but split em and add some ham and spices--I cannot get enough of it. My version from my grandma's recipe is slow cooked for about 4 hours, adds garlic/olive oil to the onion sweat, dry mustard & a hefty bit of fresh Dill Weed to the basics. I will try your recipe for sure too! Good Food-Karma wishes to you Chef & Thank You! -cb
So what would cause there to be pebbles in the bag of split peas? Something in the processing? Less-than-perfect picking, processing, and packing? Please enlighten.
So what would cause there to be pebbles in the bag of split peas? Something in the processing? Less-than-perfect picking, processing, and packing? Please enlighten.
Yes, they are picked by machine and it grabs tiny stones sometimes.
Tiny stones. Yum, ever make Stone Soup? All you need is a soup stone.
i'd love to taste it...
This looks delicious! I am going to make this next time I go to the grocery store!
We always make this after having a ham roast(leftovers, in my opinon, are the best part about ham roasts). We take whatever ham hasn't been saved for cold sandwiches and toss them in the pot with the bone.
The bone really does give the soup something extra, and I can't recommend enough that you try it.
...and now I'm craving split pea soup and cold ham sandwiches. Thanks a lot, Chef John.
Jerk.
Hey Chef John,
First time posting and I want you to know I love this site!
This recipe is very close to our family recipe, except we add a ham bone and simmer for a couple of hours at least.
Add a slice of warm, fresh-baked sourdough slathered with butter and I'm in heaven.
I think split peas are really a type of lentil. They aren't the green peas in a pod type.
Chef John, if i were to make this without using ham, would all of the other amounts of ingredients be the same? Would I have to put more salt? Thanks!
looks delicious..not sure if I'll be able to find Split peas over here in Spain but maybe I'll be able to find some next weekend in Holland..thanks for the great recipies
yes, the same. simply taste for salt at the end. good luck!
greg, they are literally dried and split peas, not a type of lentil. Otherwise it would be called split lentil soup. ;)
Great reminder that it is "soup season"....
I also add diced carrots to my recipe.
AND I rinse the peas after picking over for stones.
Luisa Vacaville
yes you should probably rinse too, I forgot.
greetings from finland!
you should really try seasoning this with marjoram, its super delicious with it :)
i will, and I'll tell you what I think when I "Finish"
I actually did use yellow lentils cos i can't get those peas here. They seemed to soak up a the liquid really fast though, so I added more midway through. Also, used a piece of steak diced really small. I don't dig on no swine, man.
So, I made this. Except completely different. Thanks chef.
I made this soup last night and let me tell you, absolutely amazing... Just like Chef John said, really hearty and delicious! I substituted the pound of ham with two big sticks of carrot and it worked wonders! Thanks Chef John!
-D.W.
I add diced carrots to my recipe too. It adds a nice sweetness to balance the salty ham flavor. And again, using a pressure cooker speeds up the cooking time to about 15 minutes. Speaking of which, I would love to see a video on pressure cooking. :)
Chef John, I tried your recipe and it was sooo... delicious. It tasted as though I spent hours cooking it, so hearty, and satisfying. I didn't know something so simple can taste so complicated. Thanks.
I'm glad you liked it! It's just like life - actually simple, but seems complicated.
I've made this a few times since you first posted it, and it's wonderful. I had tried making pea soup many times before, but always from whole dried peas that somehow made it into my cupboards!
Ever tried Habitant brand pea soup from Canada? Maybe it's just me, but ever since I was a kid I loved the stuff!
I haven't heard of that
If you're ever in Quebec or Eastern Canada I suggest you pick up a can. I've had a few people I've met from the USA that were in the area on vacation, and they said none of the canned pea soup available south of the border compared. :-)
Hi!
Just found this site last week and love it! Do you think this could be adapted for a crock pot/slow cooker? I'll be getting home late and would love to have this waiting for me!
Thanks,
Caroline
Yes, I'm sure it would be great. I dont have a crock pot, but I'm sure any CP split pea recipe online could work with these ingredients.
thats a great combo! Any ham works. I'm glad you are enjoying it.
Thanks John! I used my Christmas ham to make this soup. For 25 years my husband has been the "split pea and ham" soup king in our home, keeping his recipe a secret, but I think I dethroned him with this one :)
Like others, I added about a cup or so of julienned carrots for freshness and color. Also for more color, I used half yellow split peas. For some reason kids seem to be intimidated by all that green!
congrats on the dethroning!
Chef John,
Can I use canned summer sweet peas (Green Giant brand) as a substitute for split peas? Would I be able to reduce the cooking time as the peas don't need to be rehydrated? How about frozen peas? Many thanks.
sure, way faster, but bot the same taste.
This a be the second time in one month we will make Chef John's Split Pea soup.
My husband even helped this time as he cannot wait for this simple and yet elegant soup.
Excellent recipe, anyone could make and yet it is so good!
Make a lot though, last time we didn't have any left over it was that good.
Attempted this dish over the weekend with Spam, or what I'd imagine "city ham" would taste like. The Spam was salty enough the soup didn't need any additional salt.
Thanks Chef John!
I am making this soup as I am writing this comment... Saw the video earlier today... and by the time I got home I decided I HAD to make it. So far my kitchen smells absolutely great. I did add 1/2 tsp cumin and a small cauliflower to it, and added the garlic later, so it can still have it's own power in the flavor.
BIG thank you from Romania!
Had a hanker'n for this soup, so came and did a Foodwishes search for the recipe over one year after it was posted. Followed video to the tee and...DELICIOUS! Thanks Chef John. Wish I'd thought to rinse the peas and/or read the comments before cooking, though. Oh well. Live and learn. I made on stove per video in morning, actually had some for breakfast, then transferred to crockpot and kept on warm until I got back home from work. What a treat to arrive to a delightful aroma and warm, hearty bowl of split pea soup!
For the next batch I'll add some diced carrots to the "sweat" along with some dry mustard. Maybe also try the marjoram suggestion as well.
Thanks for the recipe, it was really tasty and easy. Just how I like to describe a recipe.
Hi Chef John,
First I'd like to thank you for your site. I'm a recipe addict and your sense of humor and talent for making recipes with such ease and confidence has helped me try things I normally wouldn't.
I'm compelled to post (1st time) because I received a gift from a relative of a smoked turkey (yuk) and a ham. Immediately I thought about making pea soup, regretting that I'd never paid attention to my mom when she made hers. I was so pleased to find that you did a video of your Country Ham and Split Pea soup.
I chuckled at your comment in the video "I wondered how come there's no city ham" and I thought the same.
After I made the initial ham dinner and was about to throw away the pamphlet that came with the ham, I noticed it said "City Ham!"
Now I'm wondering what the difference is. So I googled and found this site. http://www.samcooks.com/food/meat/HamCountry.htm (it is case sensitive to pull up)
So for Danny who posted "what he thought was of city ham" using Spam, and anyone else that would like to be enlightened, here you have it.
I'm sure Chef John that you already knew this and it was your sense of humor to make us all think about it :), however now I have a dilemma, do I use this darn "city ham" for my soup or do I go get myself a country ham?! Not really, if Danny can make Spam work, I'm sure my city ham will be just fine.
In case anyone is wondering of the origin of my city ham, my gift came from www.smokehouse.com
Happy cooking Chef John :)
Respectfully,
A very loyal fan
If you use 3 & cannot taste them, they are elderly and/or crappy bay leaves. Buy a new jar, & add one. Then the next time you make it don't, & then tell us the results.
I get quite a few people who lament not being able to cook very well and not really knowing the basics. This is usually as they are eating some home cooked thing I've done. Since it took me 30 years to get to where I am now I used to not know what to say that would be truly helpful.
Now I just say "Foodwishes.com baby!" I just said it today to a friend who loved her lunch of split pea soup and wanted the recipe. I get my inspiration from a lot of sources, not all of which I would recommend to a beginner but I was able to say that the soup she loved so much was easy and there was a video recipe for it along with lots of videos with basic technique. Foodwishes.com baby.
This soup sounds and looks amazing. I would like to puree the soup. Chef John, could I leave the ham in large pieces, take them out at the end, puree the soup, and add the ham back in?
Sure! Enjoy!
Excellent...hit the spot! Yes, it's raining out and it couldn't taste any better. I let it cook a little longer as I like my soup a thicker. mmm, mmm, good! TKS!
Hi, Chef John. The link to this video doesn't seem to be working. I've loaded this page in two different browsers and the video doesn't show up. It's a shame, because I'm looking for a new pea soup recipe. Thanks! And thanks for the great, simple, inspiring recipes. You rock!
I have just recently discovered you and am in love. my speciality is my Whitevelvet cheesecake which I have been selling to support myself since my last employer decided a 70 year old faithful loyal employee was no longer necessary to sustain their business. I am going to use your recipe for crème fraiche and hopefully increase my sales. can't thank you enough by the way, I've been making split pea soup for ages. am glad you also like it.
I have a little Bay tree in a pot. What is your thinking on fresh Bay leaves vs dry?
I would google for more information, but fresh bay leaves generally don't work for cooking! Way too strong a flavor.
I thought I had an issue. I prepare this stuff so it makes A LOT. If you don't have a ham bone, use smithfields ham cuts, and add liquid smoke. Make sure you add all the other items as well. You have to work with what you have. It is literally cheap to make and can feed you quite some time.
Hey Chef John... I've got 2 pork shoulder bones (with ~1lb of meat on each of them) Is there any way I could substitute the ham with this excess pork I'm in possession of? If not, is are there any recommendations for stewing these beauties?
Sure you can use pork shoulder, but it doesn't have the smokiness of ham. You have to cook them for a while, until the meat falls off the bone, but it would work. Good luck!
I just finished curing and smoking some pork belly to make home-made bacon and it turned out great (a little salty...I think next time I'm going to soak the bacon in some water after curing to pull some of the salt out before smoking) I trimmed the edges of the belly to make it easier to slice as I don't own a deli slicer. I have about a half pound of these trimmings. Do you think I could supplement the country ham with my pork trimmings? Or maybe you could point me in the direction of something better I could use my trimmings for? Thanks Chef John. You da man.
Thanks. I make this quite often, it is one of my favorites. Never even knew what to do with split peas. Thanks again Chef.
Do I have to soak the peas overnight?
I was shocked, saddened, and delighted - all at the same time.
My Dad did the same thing with crackers and soup.
if you want city ham, you have to add an urban spice blend, dah dum dum.
to see city ham you need an urban spice blend.
Chef John: I have a batch of this split pea soup cooking now. This recipe is a favorite in our home.
I have been cooking several of your other recipes for an elderly neighbor lady who is undergoing radiation therapy for cancer. Her husband does not know how to cook. They are so grateful for the food I prepare for them.
I can do all this because of you. Many Thanks
Hi I am new here. I have heard a lot about this site. One question, if there are only ingredients posted, do they all go into the pot at the same time? I am not good at doing a video when cooking so was wondering. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
Hello Chef John!
I love the idea of doing split pea soup with country ham but am wondering if that's really what you used! Appears to be, ironically, city ham in your video on YouTube! I love country ham but feel like it might be too funky and salty for most, especially if you use a pound. Maybe if it's cut off a whole country ham that's been soaked and cooked? Love your vids!
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