Love for Food

Winter has snuck up on me. I use to not mind winter because it was so cozy to be at home with some tea. The past few years has turned me into the Grinch. One major part of it is having a cheap landlord and lots of drafty windows! Some days it feels colder inside than outside. I decided to make some soup to warm me up after hearing that this weeks highs will be in the 20's! Yikes! Soups can be simple but the important part is to make sure the broth is top notch. For this soup, I used ham hogs to get a beefy broth and than added the rest of the ingredients to the stock.Ingredients: Serves Twelve
2 pounds ham hogs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound split peas, picked and rinsed
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin

Method:

• Cook ham hogs first in water for 2 hours, then take out the meat (you can add meat to the mixture at the end if you like).
• Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat.
• Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add the split peas, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to
• combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
• Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.