Split Pea Soup With Ham

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 lbs ham hocks (about 3)
• 1 - 1 1/2 lb ham steak, fat removed, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 quarts water (12 c)
• 1 lb split peas, rinsed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1. 1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over high heat. Add onions, carrots, garlic, and celery and saute until vegetables begin to brown, about 6 minutes.
2. 2. Add ham hocks, chopped ham, bay leaves and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until the ham is very tender.
3. 3. Remove the ham hocks and bones. Shred meat into bite-sized pieces and return meat to stock. Discard bones, fat and gristle.
4. 4. Add split peas and thyme. Simmer uncovered 1 hour 20 minutes or until peas dissolve and thicken soup.
5. 5. Remove bay leaves. Serve with croutons.
6. Additional Notes: Soup may be refrigerated for several days or frozen.
7. Soup tends to be a bit salty depending on the ham you use. If you have really salty ham you may want to add a potato or two (chopped into bite size pieces) about an hour before the soup is finished.
8. I use playtex gloves for handling the hot ham bones and shredding the meat so I don't have to wait for it to cool down.
9. My family dislikes onions and celery so I leave the pieces particularly large and remove them when I remove the ham bones.

olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, ham hocks, ham steak, bay leaves, water, peas, thyme

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/split-pea-soup-with-ham-413796 (may not work)