Martha's Split pea Soup

I am a Martha-lover. I always have been. Say what you want about the woman, she's meticulous and I've never met a Martha recipe that didn't work. To that point, this is a perfect Split Pea Soup. I don't fuss with it at all or change anything (although she makes crotons with it and I don't. If you go to her site and look at the recipe, you can just ignore that part if you like). Anytime I make a ham, I make it knowing there will be days of divine soup to come. By the way when I make ham, all I do is buy a pre-cooked spiral cut. I stick cloves through it and drizzle a combination of dark brown sugar with just enough Dr. Pepper or other soda to make a thick glaze, then pour it over. Bake it at 375 for about 30 minutes for something really irresistible. Once you're done picking at the ham, try out this recipe, you won't be disappointed.


Split Pea Soup
1 tbs olive oil
1 chopped medium yellow onion
4 carrots, thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 tbs dried thyme
Salt and ground pepper
14.5 ounces chicken broth (1 can)
1 bag (16 ounces) green split peas
Ham bone plus 2 cups of cubed ham
2 tbs fresh lemon juice (I like much more lemon than that. In fact I think it's the lemon that makes the soup so damn good)

-In a Dutch oven or 5-quart heavy pot with lid, heat oil.
-Add onion, celery, carrots, thyme; season with salt and pepper, cook until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
-Add broth, split peas, ham bone, and 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to med-low, and partially cover. Simmer until peas are soft about 30-45 minutes.
-Remove and discard ham bone. You can either blend half of the soup in a blender or food processor in batches, or use an immersion blender. Then return the blended soup to the pot.
-Add the cubed ham and simmer until heated through. Add lemon juice and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. If it's too thick, thin it out with some more broth.

*I like to serve this with some light sour cream on the side. It's even better the next day of course, but it will have to be thinned out when you reheat it with some more water or broth.