Pea And Ham Soup

Soup diet day 2 and I am already out of ideas but the tummies did vaguely mentioned pea and ham soup, pea and ham soup we are getting tonight then. I must admit I have never made this before but I roughly know what should be going into the pot, besides it has to be light and broth like so a regular recipe might not work for us. Apart from having a little trouble getting the smoked ham hock; it was a breeze making this soup, we are all very pleased with the end result and decided this lighter version of pea and ham soup is blog worthy! It is light and very flavoursome not to mention the most amazing colour of the soup itself.
P.S Add a few potatoes to get a thicker and heartier version!

serves 8

you'll need;

2 smoked ham hocks

2 carrots, chopped

4 celery sticks, chopped

2 onions, chopped

500g of green split pea, soaked for at least 2 hours, drained

3 bay leaves

1/2 tbs of black peppercorns

salt and pepper to taste

5 l of water

Boil ham hock for 1.5 to 2 hours til tender; remove from the pot and when they are cool enough to handle, discharge skin and bones and roughly flake the meat. Strain the cooking liquid and remove the excess fat.

In another pot, fry chopped vegetables with olive oil til soften then pour in the strained stock and soaked peas. simmer for about an hour.

Blend everything til smooth and check for seasonings. Remember the stock is fairly salty from cooking the ham hock so be easy on the salt.

Ladle soup into a bowl and top with some flaked ham and garnish with some celery heart.