Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 smoked ham_hock (about 1 lb/500 g)
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable_oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
4 cups (1 L) sodium-reduced chicken stock
2 cups (500 mL) dry green or yellow split peas
3 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Using paring knife, peel off and discard skin from ham hock. Trim off and discard fat and set aside.
2. In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat
3. Fry onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper and ham hock, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened (about 5 minutes).
4. Add stock, peas and 2 cups (500 ml) water; bring to boil over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam.
5. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until peas break down and meat is tender enough to fall off hock (about 1-3/4 hours).
6. Remove ham hock; pull off and shred meat. Set meat aside.
7. Discard ham bone and bay leaves.
8. In blender, puree half of the soup; return to pot along with meat. (Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes.
   
   Tip: After removing the ham hock, you can use an immersion blender to blend soup to a half chunky stage while still in the pot.

Portion size 8