This recipe is from the post: Split Pea Soup with Ham.

Makes about 10-12 servings and can be halved, freezes well.

2 1/2 cups diced celery
2 1/2 cups diced carrot
2 large peeled and diced onions
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2-16 oz. packages of split peas, rinsed well, drained and picked over
10 cups of low sodium chicken broth
10 cups of water
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced white potato
1 large meaty hambone, or you can add extra ham if needed
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried herbs de provence
2 cups shredded baby spinach
1/3 cup dry sherry
additional salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and the onions are transparent, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, water, peas, hambone, potato, half the parsley, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, the tarragon, and the herbs de provence to the pot and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, skim off any foam from the peas, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the meat is falling off the hambone and the peas are cooked through, falling apart and mushy. Remove the hambone from the pot to a large plate and then remove the meat from the bone, separating the fat from the meat. Add the ham back to the soup and discard the bone and fat. Add the spinach and the sherry to the soup and allow it to cook for about 5-10 more minutes until everything is warmed through. Skim off the collected fat from the top of the pot, stir and serve with croutons.

Recipe ©2012 Betsy Burts. All reproduction rights reserved.

Croutons

1 small baguette, sliced across into about 1/4 inch pieces
Shredded Asiago cheese or Parmesan, or just plain olive oil

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the baguette slices and place under a broiler, toasting until the slices are golden brown and the cheese is melted, if using. Float a crouton on top of the soup and serve extra alongside for dunking.