- Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
| Soup Stock: | |
| Ham Bone | |
| 6 cans | Vegetable Broth, 14 ½ oz |
| Handful Flat Leaf Parsley Sprigs | |
| 1 | Large Onion, quartered |
| 1 | Carrot, sliced into chunks |
| 1 stalk | Celery With Leafy Top, sliced into chunks |
| 2 | Bay Leaves |
| Sprigs Fresh Thyme or Rosemary, optional | |
| Soup: | |
| 2 Tbsp | Unsalted Butter |
| ½ cup | Chopped Onion |
| 1.2 cup | Celery |
| ½ cup | Carrot |
| ½ cup | Leeks, white part only |
| 1 lb pkg | Dry Split Green Peas |
| Prepared Ham Stock | |
| ½ tsp | Freshly Ground Pepper |
| 1 cup | Milk |
| 2 cups | Packed Chopped Fresh Spinach Leaves |
| Herbed Croutons: | |
| 4 slices | Pumpernickel Bread, crusts removed, and cut into ½" cubes |
| 2 Tbsp | Unsalted Butter |
| 1 | Garlic Clove, pressed |
| 1 tsp | Dried Oregano |
| ½ tsp | Dried Rosemary |
| ½ tsp | Dried Marjoram |
| ½ tsp | Salt |
Directions:
Stock:
Place all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for several hours, stirring occasionally. Cool stock and strain, discard ham bone, vegetables and herbs. Refrigerate stock overnight. Next day, discard all fat hardened on top of stock.
Soup:
Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add onions, celery, carrot and leeks. Saute over medium low heat about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender. Add split peas, prepared ham stock and pepper. Turn heat to low, cover pan, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Croutons:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread cubes in a bowl. Melt butter in a small pan over low heat, add garlic, and cook a few minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat then stir in herbs and salt. Pour over bread cubes and toss to coat well. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake 12-15 minutes, or until crunchy. Remove pan to a wire rack and cool.
Final:
After soup has simmered 1 hour, stir in milk and chopped spinach. Cook and stir until soup is very hot. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve each bowl of soup topped with some herbed croutons. You can also place a dollop of sour cream into each bowl.
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