Green Pea Soup

We don't have this very often, but I was surprised to discover there wasn't a post for it on this blog. Time to rectify that! There was a ham bone in the freezer, it's a bit chilly today (comparatively speaking), and I thought it would be nice to have Green Pea Soup for my St. Patrick's Day lunch, so I'm making it for dinner tonight. Our recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook that we received as a wedding gift. I don't know how the recipe or taste compares to the Andersen Pea Soup I remember getting on vacation as a kid, but it still brings back good memories.

Split Pea Soup

1 pound (2 1/4 cups) dry split green peas
8 cups water
1 teaspoon chicken base
1 meaty ham bone
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped

Combine everything but the carrots and celery in a large pot; bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Remove the ham bone and bay leaves. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. By then the bone should be cool enough to cut off the meat and return it to the soup pot. If you want the soup to be creamier, use an immersion blender in the pot before adding the ham back in. That's the way we like it. Serves 6-8

Using the Instant Pot:

Make ham broth first - add the meaty ham bone to the Instant Pot, along with salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic, and an onion, carrot and celery stalk or two, and water to the 8-9 cup fill line. Process for one hour. Strain the broth and set aside. Remove the meat from the bone - it should just fall off - and set aside.

Turn the Pot on "sauté" and cook the vegetables until soft. Add the dry peas and the ham broth - to the 8-9 cup fill line - along with any additional desired seasonings. Process for 20 minutes; immediately release pressure - supposedly this helps "puree" the peas so you don't need to use an immersion blender. Stir in the ham and serve.