Thanks, fellas.
FG, NO. No potatoes in my slit pea soup. Basically use Emeril Legasse's recipe, but I never (well, almost never) follow any recipe exactly. For example, Emeril calls for ham hocks. Can't buy any hocks with decent meat on them any more. So, if I were to consider using hocks (which I didn't), I can buy smoked shanks at the Spanish markets here, which are a far better deal. in this case, I found some packs of Hormel 21 smoked ham on sale 2x1 and chopped that up.
Quick recipe from memory (double batch):
2 3/4 lbs dried slit peas
1 large smoked ham bone (from shank portion)
2 lbs chopped smoked ham
2 lbs carrots chopped
2 medium sweet onions chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 container Kirkland organic chicken stock (about 2 cups?)
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp garlic minced (I always use more)
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp cumin (I added this to recipe. Didn't add anything. Won't do again.)
salt & pepper to taste
Boiled the bone after covering with water and added peas + 2 more cups water later in the boil. Added remaining ingredients along the way and simmered all afternoon until done. After boiling the ham bone, there was about another 1/4 lb of meat I pulled off it and chopped up. It also went in the pot.
I like a hearty split pea soup that sticks to your ribs, and with a lot of carrots. So my recipe may be a little overkill for some.
