Nicole’s French Canadian Pea Soup

It’s snowing here in Vancouver, and the perfect companion to a snowy day is a warming bowl of hearty soup. This recipe comes to us from one of our team, Danielle, although she gives full credit to her mother, Nicole. “My mom passed this soup recipe down to me from her mom”, says Danielle, “and it’s a ‘Go-To’ staple in our family when the weather turns cold!” The recipe doubles and freezes really well so make a big batch and you’ll be warmed all winter long.

Makes 10-12 cups

• 2 litres chicken stock or beef stock
• 2 litres water
• 1 smoked ham hock – available at most butchers and grocery stores
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 4 celery stalks diced
•  2 cups green peas, frozen or fresh
• 3-4 cups yellow or green split peas
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the ham hock, the stock and the water in a large pot over a high heat; bring to a rolling boil and then turn the heat to medium-low. Leave on the stove for approx. 1 1/2 – 2 hours to reduce the liquid by half (you want to do this slowly so that the ham hock has time to add a lot of flavour). You should be left with about 2 litres liquid total. Remove ham hock and let cool.

Saute the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil over medium high heat until soft. Add vegetables to stock.

Once the hock is cooled, take all of the meat off the bone discarding the fat. Cut the meat unto a medium dice and add to stock.

Add the green peas and split peas to the stock and turn the heat back on to medium. Cook for approx. an hour and a half or until the split peas are soft, making sure to stir often as the split peas will tend to sink to the bottom. Salt and pepper to taste.