Smoky Split Pea Soup

When I was growing up, a can of Campbell's soup was a given at least once a week in our house.

Of course Tomato soup out of that familiar red and white can was a hit...who doesn't love that? What about Chicken Noodle or Vegetable Beef?

But if I remember right (and correct me if I'm wrong mom!), one of my favorites was Split Pea. I know...you either love it or you hate it! For me though, it's just one of those comforting tastes. Or rather...it was. It's been a long time since I've had anything from Campbell's.

The other day, trying to pass time while having this monster headache (it's Day Six now...grrrr), I was looking at recipes. My eyes don't like the computer for too long when I have this kind of headache, but you know, I had to do something to pass the time (and still do...).

I ended up on one of my familiar sites where I like to find recipes...Whole Food Markets. There are some great recipes on there that work well for us and our gluten free (mostly lactose free, for Claire's sake) diet. I was happy to find a new split pea soup to try as I really have never found one that I liked.

But...THIS IS IT! It was SO easy and SO good...if you like split pea soup! So here's the recipe, as usual with my adaptations.

10 cups vegetable broth (used 2 Maggi vegetable bouillon cubes)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon smoky paprika (for those who live here, I got it at Marks and Spencer)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (they said not to use the kind packed in oil, but it's all I had...I drained off the oil and it worked fine!)
1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked ham, diced (my addition...made for a heartier soup)

In a large pot, bring 1/2 cup broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook about six minutes or until onion is translucent and tender. Stir in smoked paprika and cook 1 minutes. Add tomatoes, peas and remaining broth, and one extra cup water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 40 minutes or until peas are tender (I cooked it for four hours - this made it nice and tender!). Puree soup with a hand-held immersion blender (or in a blender or food processor...in small batches if you do it this way so it doesn't explode all over your kitchen, like I've had happen!) until smooth and creamy. Return to heat, add ham and let it warm all the way through. Season with black pepper and serve.

Oh, and it makes great leftovers too...one of those soups that's better the next day! Hope you'll enjoy it as much as our family did!

(Recipe adapted from: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2952)