Ham and Split Pea Soup takes the chill off our first really cool evening.

Ham and Split Pea Soup with Carrots and Turnips.

A few minutes ago I noticed the bright orange leaves of autumn have started appearing on the big old tree in front of the picture window in my living room. That tree turns early but it is indeed an omen of things to come. A chilly breeze hit me as I sat with my husband watching the evening news. i closed the front door and the kitchen window and thought how pleased I was that I had started a pot of hearty pea soup for this evenings dinner.

It had occurred to me that I cannot have potatoes as are commonly added to this soup because of my diet. I remembered that a long time ago turnips and peas were cooked together as commonly as are peas and carrots today. I thought it a pleasing idea to substitute the turnips and see how that would work out. Actually it was terrific and I will probably fix them together again.

Here are the ingredients I used;

2 qt. chicken stock
1 lb. green dried split peas
1 C. diced ham
1 smoked ham hock
3 peeled and diced turnips
4 peeled and diced carrots
3 ribs of celery diced
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 whole red chili pepper
salt to taste
2 T. oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Simmer the ham hock in 1 quart of chicken stock for 1 1/2 hours early in the day. Remove the hock and retrieve any ham on it and save it to add back to the soup. Discard the bones and rind.

Add the oil to the bottom of a large soup kettle with a heavy bottom and cook the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and turnips for about 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the stock from the hock and the additional quart and simmer the vegetables over low heat.

Add the rinsed and clean split peas, the ham, the whole chili pepper and the salt and pepper to taste.

Cook over low heat for about an hour and fifteen minutes stirring occasionally.

Serve pipping hot in soup mugs. Serve with crisp crackers or crusty bread if desired.  Yield 3 quarts.