Ham And Split Pea Soup Recipe

In a large soup pot, combine garlic, onions, water, ham bone or ham hocks, split peas, beef bouillon, bay leaves, carrots, parsley leaves, celery, thyme leaves, marjoram leaves, celery salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, Cover and lower heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally until split peas have cooked completely and thickened the soup, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. As soup thickens, stir more frequently to prevent split peas from sticking to bottom of pot. Add additional bouillon if needed.

Remove ham bone or ham hock. While meat on the bone is cooling slightly, skim fat off top of soup with large shallow spoon, and discard. Remove bay leaves and discard. Cut meat into small pieces and return it to soup. Add salt if desired. Bring soup to a boil again. Stir well.