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1
Rinse peas well in cold water and add to a large cooking pot.
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2
Measure 8 cups of water and add to cooking pot.
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3
Bring to boil, remove from heat, cover and let sit for 1 hour.
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4
Return to stove and bring back to boil.
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5
Add ham bone, carrots, onions, celery, bay leaf, beef bouillon, salt, peppercorns and dried thyme.
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6
Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
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7
Remove ham bone and cut off any remaining ham, cut into bite size pieces and return to soup.
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8
Discard ham bone.
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9
If there are big pieces of ham in the soup, remove, cut into bite size pieces and return to soup.
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10
Remove bay leaf and discard.
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11
Adjust seasonings to taste.
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12
If you desire a smooth soup, then puree' in batches in a food processor or blender.
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13
Or eat the soup without puree'ing.
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14
If soup is too thick, add more water to your desired consistency.
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15
Beef broth or chicken broth may be added, just reduce the water by the amounts used.
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16
Smoked ham hocks are excellent to use instead of a ham bone.
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17
If there is not enough ham on the ham bone, then add additional ham of your choice.
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18
You may also use about 1/4 teaspoon of Liquid Hickory Smoke, to get a smokey flavor.
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19
You may also use whole peas, but it will take a bit longer to cook these peas so that they are tender.
