What's Cookin': My pea soup as stolen and altered for clarity from cooks.com

SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP

1 ham bone 1 lb. dry split peas 4 cloves garlic, minced (I use a couple teaspoons pre-minced jarred garlic) 1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil ( I use just olive oil) 1 Medium onion chopped very fine so it disappears as it cooks 2 quarts water 2 bay leaves Handful of celery leafy tops or one good stalk 1 lb baby carrots salt and pepper, to taste 1 can evaporated milk or 1 cup light cream or milk (I add at the table0it cools the soup a bit too) Empty package of split peas into a colander or bowl. Sort through well, removing foreign matter and imperfect peas. (in all my years I have only found ONE stone but habits remain). Rinse well. Soak for two hours in 2 cups water. ( I never soak if I am home that day, I just boil it longer)... In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil until garlic golden, but not brown in color (since I used jarred I only cook the onions until they turn translucent). Add ham bone, water in which peas have been soaked (heck no, I bet that soaking water makes it gassey so I'll skip the farts) and 2 extra quarts of water, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil for 1 minute; reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour. Remove cover and simmer an additional hour or until soup is desired consistency. Add baby carrots during final 20-30 minutes of cooking (may be roughly chopped, if desired, or leave whole). I actually add the carrots much earlier and end up straining most of the particles out-onions, celery, and virtually all the carrots cus Honey doesn't like carrots much ugh). If you prefer a pureed soup, process using a hand blender before adding carrots. Taste soup one half hour before serving; add additional garlic or garlic powder and salt and pepper, as desired. If you have any leftover ham, add at this time. I ALWAYS make sure I have ham to add...I try and keep some chopped ham in the freezer if need be to make sure there's meat in it. I am a carnivore and more esp my family are ;-). In a pinch, I've made this w/o a bone and even used a couple of smoked pork chops for flavor---but WATCH out and use NO salt if you use the smoked chops... I also like to add some diced potatoes in the last 15-20 minutes but again Honey doesn't so rarely have that lol. Serve with a nice crusty loaf, or my husband's fav cheapo JIFFY corn bread and butter. The best pea soup I ever had was from the MAGIC PAN and they had some great light almost Fritos type but cheesy chip for dipping...mmmm Magic Pan Potage St Germain MAGIC PAN RESTAURANT POTAGE ST GERMAIN (Pea Soup) This pea soup recipe is from the Magic Pan Restaurant. 1 (1 pound) ham bone 4 1/2 cups water 1 (13 ounce) can chicken broth 2 cups split peas 2/3 cup finely chopped leeks or green onions 1/3 cup finely chopped carrots 1/3 cup finely chopped celery 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon thyme Bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 1/2 cups milk 1 cup whipping cream 1 cup chopped ham, cooked 1/2 cup chopped chicken (cooked) (optional) Place ham bone in large pot. Add water, chicken stock and peas and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Sauté the onions, carrots and celery just until limp. Add them to the soup pot along with all the seasonings and continue to simmer until peas are very soft and mixture is thick - about 45 minutes. Remove ham bone. Gradually stir in the milk and cream. Add ham and chicken. Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes. Potage St. Germain soup should be served with a dollop of sour cream and a splash of sherry. The sherry was served on the side in a tiny glass pitcher, while the sour cream was placed in the bowl and dusted with chopped parsley. Credit from various sources but stolen from Uncle Phaedrus...