From My Carolina Kitchen
12-oz package of green split peas
6 cups liquid (I use 4 cups of low sodium, low fat beef broth & 2 cups of water)
1 bay leaf
1 ham bone, trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 whole carrots, scraped & diced
2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
Seasonings added before serving:
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sour cream for garnish
Combine the peas, liquid, and ham bone in a large stockpot, cover, bring to a boil. When it boils, turn to low and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, checking at 45 minutes for doneness.
In the meantime add the olive oil to a nonstick skillet over high heat. Start the vegetables off on high and quickly turn heat to very low, stirring very frequently. Sauté the vegetables until they are well softened and have taken on a slightly golden hue. Add thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and garlic and stir to cook for a moment. Add tomato paste, stir well, and cook a couple of minutes to incorporate the tomato paste. Add soy sauce & cook until the liquid evaporates.
Add vegetables to the peas along with the bay leaf. Peas should be done in about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove and discard bay leaf and the ham bone. Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper and add more liquid if necessary. Cover the soup and when it is cool, transfer to the refrigerator overnight.
The next day remove the layer of fat that has formed over the soup overnight and discard. At this point heat the soup up, then puree it with a wand mixer (or use a blender) or puree half and leave the remaining half of the soup chunky. Serve right away, or cool and store in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 to 3 days.
Before serving soup, combine the last minute seasonings in a small bowl and stir into the soup. Spoon soup into serving bowls and top with about a tablespoon or so of sour cream.
From My Carolina Kitchen and inspired from Cooking Light – serves 4 to 6