Creamy Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup. What a wonderful start to an appetizing soup course is a simple one pound bag of dried split peas. You will need to soak them a few hours or overnight so plan accordingly. These cooked in the crock pot and that allowed time to prepare the other menu items without having to watch them closely.

1 lb. split peas, washed and sorted through, soaked overnight and drained

1 lb. ham steak

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 t. chopped garlic

1/2 t. salt

1 bay leaf

2 carrots, chopped

Put peas in a large crock pot and cover with water. Turn crock pot to low.

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, brown the ham steak, turning from side to side until you have a nice browned finish. Remove ham from skillet and put on a plate to cool slightly.

While ham is cooling, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the onion begins to soften. Remove from heat and add to the crock pot. Add bay leaf and cover.

Let split peas cook for 6 - 8 hours. During the last hour of cooking add the carrots. Peas should be nice and creamy and the carrots still holding their shape.

Ladle into serving bowls or mugs and top with sour cream or shredded cheese.

A perfectly elegant touch is to add a little sherry to the soup. The sherry adds a wonderful flavor to this soup.