Recipe: ham and split pea soup (no added oil/fat)

Warning - I got caught out on this one.  I thought split peas didn't need soaking but they do and I hadn't.  Instead, I zizzed the split peas to powder before starting to make the soup and it worked a treat.

Ingredients to make one big bowlful
bit of onion, chopped
a bit of celery, chopped
half a smallish carrot, washed and chopped
30g yellow split peas
150mls ham stock** and 150mls water
pepper (no salt, see below)
little bit of garlic puree
pinch dried mixed herbs
a splash of milk

Method
Either:
soak the yellow split peas in water for a day (and use less liquid in the soup)
or:
place the split peas in a blender type thing and zizz them until they are a flour consistency

Place everything except the milk in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer until everything is cooked.
Zizz to required smoothness.  Taste and adjust seasoning if required.  Add a splashy of milk and serve piping hot.

**  I only had 150 mls of the stock left so made it up to 300 mls with water.  It was a flavoursome stock from boiling a ham earlier in the week.  No need for extra salt, even though the ham was unsmoked.
If you don't have ham stock, you can use any other stock; then it will be split pea, not ham and split pea soup.  Adjust seasonings accordingly.

In a Thermomix, zizz the peas until they are reduced to a flour consistency.
Add everything else but the milk and cook for 20 mins, 100C, speed 4.  Then zizz for about 20 seconds.  Add a splash of milk and reheat to 98C just before serving.
I don't have a soup maker but I guess the process would be very similar.


This makes a smooth, creamy textured soup that is very filling, nourishing, warming and delicious.   It is also a great use of leftover ham stock and is inexpensive to make.  You can be flexible with seasonings too - a bit of a spice kick would be nice.

Post script!
Edited to say that now it has cooled, it has set quite solid.  I could almost slice it!  I suspect that 50g of dried split peas (which is what I used) is too much and I have edited the ingredients to say 30g instead.