Happy almost New Year! It’s hard to believe that 2016 starts on Friday. Hopefully you had a Merry Christmas with your families and ate a bunch of yummy food, I know I did. Christmas is a time for ham and I am sure that you have some leftovers that you are dying to do something different with! One of my favorite things to use leftover ham for is split pea soup. Despite the fact that is looks totally disgusting, its actually totally delicious. Its one of those food items that are impossible to photograph. I took one of Ina Garten’s recipes and tweaked it. I love using honey glazed ham for this recipe because it adds a bit of sweetness to the soup. Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year… See you in 2016!!

Split Pea and Ham Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped yellow onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 -1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
• 1 cup medium-diced red boiling potatoes, unpeeled (3 small)
• 1 pound dried split green peas
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups diced cooked honey ham

Directions:

1. In a 4-quart stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, 1/2 pound of split peas, ham, water and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking.
3. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.