Submitted by: Heather
Never heard of Green Monster Soup before? Well, desperation requires creativity. Earlier in the week I had served a pesto and chicken pasta dish, and going with the green theme, I added frozen peas to the pasta. The kids were less than thrilled and when I went to pack up the leftovers I found a pan full of peas, with very little pasta left. So, the kids are obviously not fans of peas.
I'm in pantry clean-out mode, though, and coming upon both a frozen ham bone in the freezer and a sadly neglected bag of split peas in the pantry, I decided to make split pea soup. The last time I'd eaten split pea soup I remember really liking it. This time was no exception. In fact my husband and I wondered why I hadn't made it in so long since we both repeatedly filled our bowls. I also didn't hear any complaints from the kids - even my picky little 5 year old! The trick was in the name (okay, okay, and the homemade bread sticks I served along with it). Not once did I bring up the fact that this was made out of peas. My kids were clueless to all the vitamins they were consuming and I was happily adding a delicious soup to our dinner line-up. Give it a try - I think you'll be surprised.
I made a double batch of the following soup and it was perfect for my family of 7. I omitted the celery, not because I don't like it, but because I was out of it. I chopped more carrots to make up the difference. I also used a ham bone from a spiral cut ham instead of a pork hock, and it imparted a lot of wonderful flavor.
Yield: Serves 6
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
2 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 pounds smoked pork hocks (or a ham bone, left over from a spiral ham, etc.)
2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram (or thyme)
1 1/2 cups green split peas
8 cups water
Melt butter in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add pork and marjoram/thyme; stir 1 minute. Add peas, then water, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Transfer hocks/ham bone to bowl. Puree 5 cups of soup in batches in blender and return to the pot. Or use an immersion blender to puree most (but not all!) of the soup. Cut meat off bones. Dice meat and return it to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm before serving.
1 1/2 pounds smoked pork hocks (or a ham bone, left over from a spiral ham, etc.)
2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram (or thyme)
1 1/2 cups green split peas
8 cups water
Melt butter in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add pork and marjoram/thyme; stir 1 minute. Add peas, then water, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover pot; simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Transfer hocks/ham bone to bowl. Puree 5 cups of soup in batches in blender and return to the pot. Or use an immersion blender to puree most (but not all!) of the soup. Cut meat off bones. Dice meat and return it to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Rewarm before serving.
Source: adapted from Epicurious (Easy Split Pea Soup)
Made this for my family and was surprised at what a big hit it was. I also used a leftover ham bone from a spiral ham and loved the flavor! Thanks!
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