Split Pea Soup with Ham

Rinse 2 cups of split green peas and add to medium stock pot with 4 cups of water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and continue to simmer with the lid just off enough to allow a bit of heat to escape, to prevent over-boiling.  Hate the mess.

In a separate frying pan, fry minced onions, garlic, and tiny diced carrot.  Add some ham and saute until a bit browned and soft.

Remove cooked peas from heat.  Puree in a blender or use an immersion blender until smooth.  Add more water to thin if necessary.  Add sauteed ingredients to soup.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.  (Photograph), serve and enjoy!

Now at this very moment, my parents are reading this post and wondering where they went wrong - why was there no bay leaf and celery root?  Easy, I forgot the bay leaf and didn't have any celery root laying around!  The Dutch are very particular about their pea soup...I'm more American than Dutch so I tend to overlook certain ingredients.

Astrid