Split Pea and Ham Soup

I love autumn - it's the season of pumpkins, baked goods and soups.  Today I want to share one of my favorite soup recipes.  This is the ultimate fall/winter dinner and is served very often in my house.  It has a fairly long ingredient list, but don't let that scare you.  This soup comes together very quickly and is completely worth the minimal effort involved. 

Split Pea and Ham Soup
16 oz dried split peas, rinsed and picked through
1 meaty ham bone, 2 ham hocks or 2 C diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced (you can use parsnips for some or all of the carrots, if you'd prefer)
1/2 C onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, plus leaves, chopped
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped or 2 Tbsp dried flakes
1 T seasoned salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 quarts hot water

Layer all the ingredients in your slow cooker in the order they're listed.  Resist the urge to stir the ingredients together - you'll just have to trust me on this one.  Don't stir.

Cover and cook on high heat 4 - 5 hours or low heat 8 - 10 hours or  until peas are very soft and meat falls off the bone. Don't stir the soup at all during cooking, don't even take the lid off.  Just let it cook and become the beautifully delicious soup it was destined to be.  Remove bones (if using) and bay leaf, then stir the soup immediately before serving. 

You can mash the peas a bit to thicken the soup up, if you like.  I often just give it a stir and serve it as it is.  Regardless, it's delicious.  And it freezes well, so feel free to make a full batch and freeze half of it for later, if that's more your style. 

In the heat of summer, when I dream of cooler weather, I always imagine myself curled up on the couch with a bowl of this soup to warm me.