German Split Pea Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Place oil and bacon in a 6-qt. pot and cook over medium-high heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towel with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add onions, celery, carrots, and celery root, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour; cook for 3 minutes.
• Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaves together with kitchen twine; add to pot with peas, ham hocks, and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until peas are very tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat. Discard herbs. Transfer hocks to a plate to let cool; pull off and chop the meat; discard fat, skin, and bones. Stir meat into soup, season with salt and pepper, and ladle soup into bowls.
• Sprinkle with reserved bacon.

Steps:

• Wash split peas in water.
• Soak overnight in water to cover.
• Drain the next morning.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven.
• Saute onion and celery until soft.
• Add chopped garlic, thyme, marjoram, and sage.
• Stir and cook for another minute.
• Add ham hock, beef broth, split peas, and carrots.
• Cover pot and bring to a boil.
• Adjust heat until you can maintain a slow simmer.
• After the soup is the consistency you like (I like my peas completely dissolved), remove ham hock.
• Allow to cool somewhat.
• Discard fat and bones.
• Slice meat and return to pot.
• Season to taste.

Steps:

• In a large heavy kettle cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Pour off all but about 1/4 cup bacon fat from kettle and cook onions and carrots, stirring, until softened. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding 1 to 2 cups more water if soup becomes too thick, 2 hours.
• Remove kettle from heat and transfer ham hock with a slotted spoon to a cutting board. Discard fat and bones and chop meat. Return meat to kettle and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Discard bay leaf.
• Just before serving, crumble bacon and sprinkle over soup.

Steps:

• Place dried split peas, ham hock, and bacon into slow cooker; pour in chicken broth and 3 1/2 cups water.
• Cover cooker and cook on High until peas are tender and broken apart, 3 to 4 hours. Stir in more water as needed to prevent soup from burning on the bottom. Stir occasionally throughout cooking.
• Stir potatoes, carrots, leek, onion, celery, and garlic into soup; mix in more water, if needed. Cover and cook soup on High for 2 more hours.
• Season with salt, black pepper, thyme, nutmeg, and cloves; mix sausage slices into soup. Cover and cook 2 more hours to blend the flavors.