Field Pea Soup

On my never-ending quest to lighten the load of my pantry and freezer, I ran across a bag of dried field peas which had been around for quite some time.  I love these little guys....they have a nice "snap" and are full of nutrition.  I'd only eaten them as a side dish but thought they should make a nice soup.  Now granted, this is a soup I would generally make in the fall or winter, but it just sounded good at the moment.

Oh so right!  I ran across this recipe and not only did it use the peas, but I had some celery, carrots, and potatoes which were on their last legs.  Win/win.  I have to admit, I just about made myself sick eating this....I just couldn't put it down.  Makes a pretty good breakfast, too.

FIELD PEA SOUP

1 Tbsp bacon grease
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped (2 lg/3 medium)
2 tsp minced garlic
S&P
sprinkle of cayenne
3 Tbsp AP flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups dried field peas, soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained
1 ham hock
2 potatoes (russet/red/Yukon Gold), scrubbed and cut into cubes
touch of cream

Soak the peas in a bowl of water overnight.  Rinse well, set aside.

In a large Dutch oven on medium heat, add bacon grease to melt.  Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook until vegetables are soft.  Add the garlic, S&P, and cayenne and cook for a minute longer.  Sprinkle the flour in and stir constantly for a minute longer or until the flour is cooked, turning a blonde color. 

Slowly whisjk in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the peas and ham hock.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and turning the ham hock.

Add the potatoes and simmer for 30 minutes longer until they are tender.  You may need to cook longer (or shorter) depending on how soft you like your peas.  Just before serving, stir in the cream (about 2 Tbsp) to make it a bit richer.  Remove ham hock before serving.

Recipe Source:  adapted from www.heedthefeed.com