Saturday, December 16, 2017

Mom's Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup made in an Instant Pot #SoupSaturdaySwappers

I'm hosting our Soup Swappers group this month. As we approach the end of this first year of sharing soup and stew recipes, I have asked my friends to share a soup that holds special memories for them.

I thought it would be a good ending for this year as we get ready to start a New Year and the second year of this group.



The holidays are often bittersweet for many of us.  We are inundated with memories, both good and bad, happy and sad.  We reflect on all of our blessings and we renew our resolutions to change the things that bring us down and interfere with our living our lives to the fullest.

As I count my blessings, I am always sure to include the friends I have made in the blogging community and especially those who have supported me in this endeavor and in my Fish Friday Foodies blogging group.

Creating and administering a group such as these can be difficult and intimidating.  You never know if you will attract bloggers and readers with the topics you have chosen.  When I announced that I wanted to start this Soup Swapper community the response was immediate and overwhelming.  I just want my friends who helped me to make this successful to know how much I appreciate them.

Food is chock full of memories for most of us.  The smell or sight of a certain dish can create joy or sadness.  It can make our tummies rumble with anticipation or dread.  It is the first need that we recognize as infants and it creates an unbreakable bond with the person (normally Mom) who meets that need.

My Mom had 6 children and a husband that came home each evening requiring that their need to eat be met.  My parents were not poor nor were they rich.  My Mom learned to feed a large number of people with minimal expense.  This meant that we ate a lot of Soup and Stews.  I think this is why I love these dishes so much and why I decided to start this group.



My favorite soup that my Mom made was Split Pea with Ham.  Mom could feed us all for several nights with one ham.  We would have Roasted Ham with Sweet Potatoes and Baked Beans for dinner the first night.  Then we would have Scalloped Potatoes with Ham on the following night.  Then the ham bone would go into a pot in the morning and when we walked into the house after dinner the aroma of Split Pea or Bean Soup would have us drooling.

Now, I love bean soup too, but split pea was my very favorite. My Mom made her pea soup on the stove top.  I have always made mine in the slow cooker but I recently got an Instant Pot and have been having a blast with it.



When I chose this topic, I went into the freezer and pulled out a ham bone that I had been saving for soup.  It went into the Instant Pot along with the dried peas and the rest of the ingredients that I always use in my soup.  In less than 1 hour we were eating dinner.  Less than one hour folks....and it was homemade....not a can was opened!


Split Pea Soup in an Instant Pot

1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, scraped and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 lb. pkg split peas
1 meaty hambone
1 qt. chicken stock
2 c. water
pepper to taste
1 bay leaf

Set the Instant Pot to saute and pour in the olive oil.  When heated, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pot.  Cook and stir until onion is translucent. Press the cancel button and add the peas and ham bone.  Pour in the chicken stock and water.  Season with cracked pepper and add the bay leaf.  

Place the lid onto the Instant Pot making sure the vent is closed.  Manually set to pressure and cook for 15 minutes.  Allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.  Then use quick release of steam and when pressure valve is seated, carefully remove the lid.  

Remove the ham bone, cut off any meat still clinging to the bone and return to the pot.  Stir, add more chicken stock or water, if desired, to thin the soup if too thick. Print Recipe

More Memorable Soups






18 comments:

  1. Ha! I love Split Pea with Ham Soup! :D I really need to get an InstantPot. Thanks, Wendy, for starting this group. It's been fabulous. P~

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  2. I just made some Split Pea soup as well, and it's been portioned out and is in the freezer waiting. Since I'm the only one who eats it in this house, I don't have to share. Love this group, thanks so much for starting it.

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  3. Thanks so much for starting this group Wendy. It's been an amazing year, and I really appreciate your sticking your neck out and taking the risk. You've assembled a group of some of the nicest people! Your soup sounds delicious, and I love having another reliable recipe for the InstantPot!

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    1. We really do have a nice group of bloggers. I appreciate you all more than you know.

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  4. I love your memory....we had a similar sequence with ham at our house! Split pea soup is comforting. And, I am especially excited that you used the Instant Pot!! I have one that I have only used once...I really need to learn how to use it. Thank you for the recipe!

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    1. I'm loving my Instant Pot Kathy. I think the more comfortable you get with it the more you are going to love it too.

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  5. I love it when you share your memories. I have a ham bone from Thanksgiving, in the freezer. Hmmmmm sounds good!

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  6. Well, I'm glad you're not afraid of the Instant Pot...I'll get there...one day! After all, soup in an hour sounds really nice! Thanks so much for starting this group too...it's one of my favorites and I'm proud to say that I haven't missed a month all year! It also keeps B.O.B. Bob fed...especially on my lazy weeks! Thank goodness soup freezes so well!

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    1. Soup has so many attributes and I love having you join us each month Colleen.

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  7. I adore split pea with ham soup and made it for the first time last year! I never had it growing up since I think my mother had it too much! I love this group and the idea- thanks so much!

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    1. Yes, we tend to feed our family those things we like and they never get to try those which we don't

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  8. So, so grateful that you started this group, Wendy. And especially grateful for your friendship and support in ALL our blogging groups. This theme was so wonderful. I loved remembering so many food memories and sharing one that I hadn't thought about in years. Merry Christmas!

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  9. A delicious split pea soup, we have this split pea as a dal to go with steamed rice, must try this as a soup.

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