Ham & Split Pea Soup - you have to try it!

We have a ham twice a year, Easter and Christmas. I always buy a bone in, spiral cut ham. I have pretty good luck at King Soopers in buying their brand, and pay about a third of the Honey Baked price. After Christmas, we are pretty set on leftover ham - I used it in several things, our favorite being Ham & Split Pea Soup. If you have never had it, well it's worth a try, because even though it's green it is not heavy on the pea flavor. Pair it with some crusty bread and wow - a great meal on a cold (or frozen!) January night.

This is a modified version of my mother-in-law's recipe. Her recipe is very simple, which adds to the recipe. I don't like the frills and special seasonings some recipes call for.

One Ham Bone with a fair amount of ham still on it. I cut away as much fat as possible.

One bag of dry split peas, washed and cleaned. It's important to clean the peas because sometimes they have shell pieces in them. Rinse in a colander and pick out anything that isn't a good looking pea.

One large potato, diced
One large carrot, diced
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large pot, place ham bone and cover with water. Heat, and simmer until meat is falling off bone. Remove the bone, set on a plate to clean off remaining meat. Strain the broth, and return broth to the pot. Place peas in the broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the diced potato and carrot, return to simmer for approximately 1 hour. This depends on how "soupy" you want it; I like to have a good amount of broth, but you can keep boiling and have it be thicker. You may have to add water if it's too thick
. Salt and pepper to taste. I usually only add pepper.

Dice the meat that you removed from the bone. Add it into the soup just after the potato and carrot.

Serve it with rolls or crackers. It freezes well, and you will likely have plenty.