Split Pea Soup with Ham
From Julia Child’s recipe in The Way to Cook
Serves 6+
Ham stock
Ham bone and scraps from a ham, or 1 or more ham hocks
@3 quarts water (or stock)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery, chopped and celery leaves
An herb bouquet: 3 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme, 5 cloves tied in cheesecloth. (who has cheesecloth? I shake in the above ingredients)
1.Stock ingredients in a large pot and simmer, with the lid askew, for 4 hours.
2. Strain the broth and discard the vegetables and ham scraps
(Can go ahead with the rest of the recipe, but I like to cook down the ham broth one day - let it rest and meld the flavors in the fridge - skim off any fat - reheat - then strain out- and go from there)
Completed Soup
3 T butter
2/3 cup diced celery
2/3 cup diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
3 T flour
2 quarts ham stock (or more)
1 1/2 cups split peas (I use the whole bag)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish: diced ham and/or croutons
1. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery, onions, and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the flour, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
3. Add the stock and split peas. Simmer, with the lid askew, for 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Use an immersion blender in the pot to blend the soup. (I like to blend it and still have some chunks left.)
5. Serve with the sautéed ham (or croutons) as a garnish.
(I just load the soup with ham pieces)
CARRABBA’S CHICKEN MARSALA
(made this last night with chicken leg quarters - yum)
4 whole chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
Salt, pepper and butter to season
1 large shallot, chopped fine
2 ounces (about 8 slices) thin sliced prosciutto, julienne
(didn’t have any prosciutto so took as much fat off bacon as possible as substitute)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (shiitake, white or mixed)
2 tablespoons clarified butter (I used olive oil)
1/2 cup dry Marsala win
1/4 cup chicken or veal stock
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brush with butter and grill until done approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.Remove chicken from grill and place on a warm plate.
To a skillet add the clarified butter, shallots, prosciutto and mushrooms. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, then add wine and stock and cook, deglaze the pan and cook until Marsala and stock is reduced by more than half.
(I added corn starch/water mixture to thicken sauce a bit)
Lower flame and add parsley and butter. Shake pan and swirl chicken in the pan. When butter has melted and sauce is a nice creamy consistency, adjust taste for salt and pepper. Serve chicken with mushroom sauce on top.