mom's split pea soup

Lesson #1: Split pea soup does not photograph well (especially given the limitations of my phone camera, which is the only photo-taking device I have with me at my mother's house).

Lesson #2: My mom makes the best split pea soup. She says it's different every time because she doesn't follow a recipe. Which means I had to give her the 5th degree to tease out something that resembles a recipe (exactly how many stalks of celery equates to "quite a bit of celery"? the answer, it turns out, is 5). Here's what I pieced together:

Mom's Split Pea Soup

Makes a big pot of soup

2 c. split peas, rinsed

2 ham hocks

10 peppercorns, smashed

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

marjoram, thyme, celery salt

1 c. milk

1 c. beef boullion

Simmer peas, ham hocks, and peppercorns in 6 cups of water in a partially covered soup pot for one hour.

In a separate pan, saute vegetables in a bit of olive oil until crisp tender.

Remove ham bone from broth and set it aside to allow to cool. Add vegetables and herbs/spices to broth and simmer for 1 hour.

Once ham hocks are cool enough to handle, cut the meat from the bone and chop.

Add ham, milk, and boullion to soup. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Lesson #3: Mom's split pea soup is even better on the second day. :-)