Ham Bone Split Pea Soup

Do you happen to have a leftover ham bone?  Split pea soup is an awesome way to use up that Easter ham bone.  Here in PDX even though the sun has been out we are still getting a lot of rainy and cold days, what better weather for soup.  Over the years I have looked at many split pea soup recipes and eaten even more, this recipe is a culmination of what I discovered and liked.  My lovely boyfriend was nice enough to cook up this batch for us in our fabulous crockpot.  Also here are some fun rudimentary facts about split pea soup (notice I labeled it as Greek cuisine because of this information).  And don't worry I know better than to trust that source as I am a librarian, but it is fun to add a little story to the meal (whether or not it's true)!  In other news my birthday is coming up the big 30 and I am trying to plan a party.  I started looking at getting a park permit and having a bunch of friends come out to BBQ and picnic but I am a little surprised by the price of a park permit...makes me wonder if we should just all drink with no permit like everyone else does, plus hey turning 30 doesn't mean I have to be THAT responsible does it?  Also sorry the picture isn't more attractive...I don't think it is possible to make split pea soup look appetizing.

Serves 8

The Ingredients
16ounces dried split peas, rinsed
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon thyme

1 ham bone with a good amount of meat on bone
¼ teaspoon dried parsley
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

The Process
1.)  In the slow cooker, place the split peas, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, ham bone, broth, parsley, marjoram, salt & pepper, and water. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

2.)  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.

3.)  Remove the bay leaf and any sprigs of thyme and discard.

4.)  Add ham back into soup and serve.