Certainly not the prettiest thing to look at, but this split pea soup is affordable, filling and delicious. It's my grandmother's favorite dish. One of mine, too.
Figure 1: Eh, forgive the improper placing. I was starving and just wanted to dig in.
Ingredients
Ham, diced; 0.5 lbs
Bacon, thick-cut and cut crosswise into small pieces; 0.5 lbs
Dry split peas, any color; 3 lbs
Carrots, diced; 4 large
Celery, diced; 0.5 stalk
Vidalia onion, diced; 2 large
Garlic, finely minced; 8 cloves
Cumin, toasted and freshly ground; 3 tbsp whole
Black peppercorn, toasted and freshly ground; 2 tbsp whole
Bay leaves, dry and ground; 4
Thyme, fresh; 10 sprigs
Stock, homemade – chicken or pork works well; 2 qts
Salt
Equipment
Knife (any)
Chopping board
Dutch oven or similarly-sized pot
Pan or microwave for toasting spices
Spice grinder
Steps
Render the fat from the ham and bacon. The easiest way to do this, I've found, is to trim the ham and throw the trimmings along with the bacon into a Dutch oven. Put that into a cold oven and turn the temp up to 275°F. You should end up with a good amount of fat. Maybe a half of an inch or so, if you're using a 6 quart Dutch oven. Throw some lard in there if you're not quite there.
Figure 2: Rendered fat in the bottom of a Dutch oven.
Remove the trimmings and bacon. Sautee the vegetables in the fat. They will release water. When you've cooked off all the water and your vegetables are beginning to brown, add the garlic, followed by the ground spices after the garlic is fragrant. Bloom the spices in the fat for a bit, then add one quart of your stock, followed by the peas, and the thyme leaves. Put the lid on and simmer.
Figure 3: Mirepoix being sauteed in the rendered fat.
The peas will soak up the stock and expand. Eventually, it will start to solidify. You'll want to add the rest of the stock in increments.. basically, just add enough until it's at the thickness/thinness you like. If it gets too thick, it might start scortching at the bottom of the pot, so you'll want to keep an eye on it and add more stock if that happens. If you run out of stock, use water.
It takes a touch over an hour of simmering. I'd add the ham 45 minutes in, and the bacon 55 minutes in.
