Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
1 lb dried split peas, rinsed and sorted
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
3 springs thyme
1 hambone with a good amount of meat on bone
8 cups water
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more, to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In the insert of a slow cooker, place the peas, onion, leek, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, ham bone and water. If you can, bring to a boil, and skim any foam off the top. Otherwise, go ahead an place the insert in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Retrieve the ham and remove the meat, chopping up the large chunks into smaller bite sized pieces. Discard the bone and set aside the ham.
Remove the bay leaf and any sprigs of thyme and discard.
Puree the soup by blending it in several batches, or by using an immersion blender. Return both the soup and the ham to the slow cooker. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot, with a some good, warm bread.