SPLIT GREEN PEA SOUP

Ingredients

• ​1 fresh or smoked pork hock (about 2 lb/1 kg)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/2 cup chopped leeks (white and tender light green portions only)
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped bacon
• 2 cups dried green split peas, rinsed and drained
• 12 cups no-salt-added chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups frozen green peas, divided
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 tbsp liquid honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• Basil Mint Sour Cream*

Directions

1. Use a sharp knife to score pork hock in a criss-cross fashion to make diamonds; set aside.
2. Place rosemary, thyme and bay leaves on a piece of cheesecloth . Gather cheesecloth around herbs, folding herbs over if needed, to form a sachet. Tie with butcher’s twine. The sachet allows the herbs to be easily removed from the soup before serving; set aside.
3. Melt butter with oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, shallots and leeks; sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add bacon and sauté for 5 minutes.
6. Add pork hock, herb sachet, split peas and broth; stir to combine. Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pork is cooked and split peas are tender, about 25 minutes.
8. Add 2 cups peas and spinach; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peas are heated through and spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; remove and discard herb sachet.
9. Transfer pork hock to a cutting board, reserving broth mixture. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin from hock. Remove meat from bone and chop meat; discard bone and set meat aside.
10. Purée broth mixture in batches in a blender, filling blender no more than half full for each batch.
11. Transfer puréed mixture to same Dutch oven. Add meat and remaining 1/2 cup peas; cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Stir in honey, salt and pepper.
12. Serve topped with Basil Mint Sour Cream.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 tsp liquid honey

Yield: Makes about 1/2 cup.

Directions

1. ​1. Combine all ingredients until blended. Refrigerate until serving.