January 16 2005, 04:47 PM Split Pea Soup

You will need a soup pot, at least six quarts big.

• olive oil
• a bay leaf or two
• 1/2 lb. carrots, chopped
• 1/2 lb. celery, chopped
• 1/2 lb. onion, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 qt. apple cider
• 1 qt. chicken stock
• 2 qts. water
• 1 lb. dried split peas
• 1 ham hock, smoked
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin, toasted and ground
• salt

I do this the way I usually do this; I start with the carrots. When the carrots are chopped I throw them into the pot with the bay leaf and a bit of oil and crank up the heat. Then, chop and add the celery; chop and add the onion. Bring the heat down a bit, and leave well enough alone until the vegetables begin to caramelize.

When those are done and the house smells good (and you can't stand it anymore) pour in a bit of the chicken stock and stir up the good bits that are on the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the liquid. While that comes back up to heat (crank the stove back up), peel (core) and chop the potato and the apple and add them into the liquid along with the ham hock. When it all comes back up to a simmer, add the peas. Reduce heat and cover.

(There is a school of thought that requires deep and soulful inspection of each pea for deformity or stoneness. Pour 'em out into a pie tin and give 'em a swish. Take out anything that doesn't look right. Dump the rest in the pot.)

After everything has simmered for a bit and the potato is tender and the peas are done, pull out the ham hock and set it aside. Traditionally, I would recommend running the soup through a food mill, but I broke the food mill, so I used the stick blender instead. The stick blender works fine. Grind up everything into a puree, and put it back on low heat.

(One thing that's nice to do is dig out the meat from the ham hock, chop it up, and add it back to the soup.)

Add the cumin, and salt to taste. It's pretty good with less salt, but it can certainly take a lot. According to me, best served in a mug. It you're of a mind to make croutons, they go well, but I find they are not needed. When it snows outside (and it snows outside) this is a very welcome soup.