Mistress Talia: a sadistic domme

This is one of my favorite soups.

I make a big batch every year after Easter when I have cooked a whole ham and have a ham bone available. I can it so we have it available for fast dinners all winter, but freezing it would work well too if you don't have a pressure canner.

This recipe makes about ten quarts of soup.

ingredients

• a meaty whole ham bone
• 2 lbs of yellow split peas (about 5 cups)
• 2 medium onions (diced)
• 6 medium carrots (diced)
• 3 stalks of celery (diced)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup dried parsley
• 2 tsp dried savory
• 1/2 tsp black pepper (freshly-ground)

basic method

1. In a stock pot, cover the whole ham bone with about 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 4 hours. Let cool before proceeding.
2. Remove ham bone and shred ham meat that remains. Freeze half the meat and broth for another use, leaving half in stock pot.
3. Add split peas to stock pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about one hour.
4. Add onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, parslet, savory and pepper to stockpot and simmer for an additional half hour (if canning) or two hours (if freezing).
5. Discard bay leaves.

to can

• Fill canner with hot water and bring to a boil.
• Clean and ready jars: you will need approximately 10 quarts or 20 pints. Place jars in canner to get hot.
• Ladle hot soup into hot jars, then adjust two-piece lids.
• Place jars in canner and bring to 11 lbs pressure (at sea level, adjust for higher altitudes). Process pints for 70 minutes; quarts for 90 minutes.
• After pressure drops to zero, remove jars to allow to cool.
• Remove rings, check seals, label and store.

Alternatively, you can simply freeze the soup in containers.