Pea and Ham Soup

This soup is made with dried peas; these generally have to be soaked overnight, though it is possible to buy some that need only a few hours' immersion. It is slightly less trouble to make the soup with split peas - which have no skins - and here there is a choice of green or yellow. Although there is no difference in the taste, the latter give the soup a pleasant golden colour.

Ingredients
2 cups dried peas or split peas
1/2 cup diced pieces of cooked ham or a ham bone
1 large onion
6 cups ham stock or water
cream (optional)
parsley (optional)
seasoning

Method
1. Soak the peas as directed on the packet. Chop the onion. Add the peas and water or stock and the ham bone if used.

2. Cook gently until the peas are soft - about an hour. Remove the bone and strip off any meat. This should be cut into small dice and reserved.

3. Puree the peas in a blender or pass through a sieve. Adjust the seasoning. Add the diced ham and serve with a swirl of cream or a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.

Enjoy!