Split Pea Soup featuring Heritage Cured Ham Hocks

Our Cured Ham Hocks are a life-saver for any and all multi-tasking home chefs. My favorite application for this cut is SOUP.  These flavorful hocks are the perfect low-maintenance cut – delicious and easy!

• 1 qt. chicken broth/stock, boiled
• 2 qt. water, boiled
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3lb. Cured Ham Hocks
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 lb. split peas, rinsed and picked over

Add the olive oil to a hot heavy-bottomed pot. Sweat the onions in the olive oil with a pinch of salt until they are soft and cooked through.  Stir in the carrots and celery, making sure they also cook evenly.  After about five minutes, add the cured ham hocks, peas and thyme.  Stir the pot so everything is evenly distributed. Carefully pour in the boiling chicken stock and water to cover all of the contents in the pot, stirring so that everything cooks evenly. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Remove the hocks from the pot and cut the meat off of the bones, dicing them into bite-sized chunks. Place the meat back into the soup and allow it to simmer for about an hour and a half. Stir occasionally as the peas begin to burst and create a creamy soup texture.

Enjoy this hearty soup with crusty sourdough bread – for our fellow Brooklynites, we are hooked on Roberta’s batard!