Split Pea Soup -

Always good on a cold day. Now that the rain is gone, the wind is cold! So this is a soup that will warm you up and does not take too long to make.

Double Pea Soup:

1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 Tbs finely chopped garlic
1 Tbs chopped fresh Thyme leaves, or you may use 2 Tbs dried thyme leaves
1 Bay leave
1 Bag dried split green peas, rinsed & sorted
7 cups chicken broth
s smoked ham hocks (1 1/2 lbs)
1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)
1/2 tsp each of salt & pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas.
2 Tbls chopped fresh mint, plus sprigs for garnish
seasoned croutons & sour cream

Heat oil in a 5 or 6 quart pan over medium heat; add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook, 2 minutes, stirring. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook 10 minutes. Stir in split peas and cook 1 minute.
Add broth and ham hock; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Stir in sherry, if using, and salt & pepper. Remove form heat. Remove ham hocks; cover soup. When ham hocks are cool enough to handle, remove skin, then cut lean meat from bones and finely shred. Stir in ham and frozen peas into soup; heat over low heat until peas are hot; add mint. Ladle into bowls. Top wiht crouton & sour cream and mint sprig. (I like to serve corn bread with mine instead of croutons. I very seldom use the sherry)
I hope you are all staying warm!