Split Pea Soup with Ham

Ingredients

• ½ kg ham hock
• 100 g dried split peas
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 bay leaves
• 150 g frozen peas
• 2 L water
• 4 slices crusty bread (optional)

Steps

1. Place ham hock in a large pot with 2 liters of water, bring to a boil, then drain. Add another 2 liters of fresh cold water and bring to a boil again.
2. Add soaked split peas, chopped onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaves to the pot. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1.5-2.5 hours, or until ham is tender, topping up water as needed.
3. Remove ham hock from the pot. Shred the meat from the bone, discarding skin and bone. Set aside.
4. Remove bay leaves from the soup. Stir in frozen peas and simmer for 1 minute.
5. Carefully blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender or by transferring to a regular blender. Add a splash of water if too thick.
6. Return soup to the pot, add most of the shredded ham, and heat through. Serve hot, garnished with remaining shredded ham and crusty bread.