January - a time to tighten the belt

​The merry Yule gatherings have been successful in chasing away the darkness!  The fairies in the Grove have noticed the dazzling pink sunsets glittering on the snow have moved from the late afternoon to the early evening.   We also find that the joyful winter celebrations around the tables have somewhat exhausted the fruits of harvest and it is time to take stock of our larders.  ​January often marks a month for tightening our belts!

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Here is a great low-cost soup recipe for January suppers.  Uses up some of the left-over ham from Christmas and only requires a few ingredients.  Chock full of healthy vegetables, this warm and hearty meal is perfect for a cold winter night!

Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup "London Fog"

Making the stock:
Place a couple of slices of ham in a pot.  Cover with water.  Roughly chop 1 yellow onion, 1 peeled carrot and 2 sticks of celery.  Add to pot along with 2 bay leaves and 10 peppercorns.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Simmer for one hour.

Making the soup:
During this time, very finely chop 1 each of:  leek, peeled carrot and small yellow onion. Melt a large pat of butter in a deep frying pan.  Add the veg and and gently fry - just until softened.  Turn off heat.

Back to the stock:
Now remove ham slices from pot and dice/tear into small pieces.  Set aside in a covered dish.  Strain the stock through a sieve pressing well down on all the veg to get as much of the goodness as possible.

Back to the soup:
Pour 1/2 the stock into the fry pan and add 1 1/3 c yellow split peas.  Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes until peas are soft.  

Ladle 1/2 the mixture, a bit at a time, into a blender/food processor, together with some of the remaining stock, to make a nice puree.  Return puree to soup in the fry pan.  Add the ham, stir and heat until hot through.

​Serve immediately with buns, crackers and a nice cheese.

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017

Ingredients:

2 slices of ham
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
2 yellow onions
1 leek
1 1/3 c yellow split peas
butter

Accompaniments:  buns, crackers, cheese

THRIFT TIP for this recipe:  Always freeze left-over ham, stock up on yellow split peas on sale and grow your own bay leaves in a pot or in your garden. Don't buy a whole bunch of celery if you won't use it - only 2 sticks are required for this recipe - some grocery stores carry them this way if you look around.