A couple weeks ago, spiral hams were on a ridiculous sale, so I bought one and we had a lovely, decadent dinner, with ham and mashed potatoes and rolls and applesauce. We also had enough ham left over for a second dinner, plus meat for lots of sandwiches, and a ham bone to freeze for soup. I made our favorite, split pea soup.
1 pound of split peas
2 quarts water
Ham bone
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, smashed
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thymeRinse peas and pick through and remove any stones.
Put all ingredients in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Simmer for 2 hours, adding water if necessary.
Remove the ham bone and allow to cool enough to handle. Pick the meat off and return the meat to the soup. Discard the bone.
Add salt and pepper to taste, but be sure to actually taste it – the ham can add a lot of salt.
And THAT made such a large pot of soup, that I still have some in the freezer for yet another meal or two. And the moral of this story is: Never pass up a fantastic sale on ham.