Un-pea pea soup

I have never really been a fan of pea soup. I've found it to be too thick, too sludge-like for my taste. It would cling to the insides of my throat as it went down, leaving me feeling like I'm choking while I'm eating it.

As an adult, I've found that perhaps I can enjoy pea soup, but only if I make it my own way, with plenty of other vegetables in them, and the special addition of fresh or frozen peas. Personally, I like the fresh/frozen peas simply because it gives the soup an additional fresh flavour to it, to counteract the sludge feeling I don't like. I also add in plenty of other fresh vegetables like carrots and potatoes to break up the thickness of the cooked peas.

If you want to try it, here's my recipe:

Cut up a small ham hock into chunks and place into a large soup pot. Add 4-5 cups of water or stock, along with 1 cup of dried split peas. Bring to boil and let simmer for an hour. Add 2 chopped celery stalks, 5 carrots cut in large chunks and 3 potatoes cut into quarters. Let it simmer for another hour or so, or until the potatoes and carrots are softened, but still retain their shape. Turn off the heat and add in a few handfuls of frozen peas, mixing to let the residual heat warm the peas.

You can use any vegetables you feel like adding... I usually slip in a parsnip or two, but I forgot to add them this time.