Pinterest Wednesday

It's cold at the Mud House. Really cold. I'm not kidding.This is a rare occurrence and we are freezing. Those of us who live in the desert aren't prepared to live with such low temperatures. We are not happy and we complain about it. A lot. Fortunately it's not as hard on us as it is on the giant old prickly pears.

So sad. The paddles freeze and they become too heavy for the plant to hold so they fall off. If you've been reading the Mud House Year Blog, you know how important these cactus are to me. Read more about them and find some great recipes here, and here, and here, and here, and here.

For Pinterest Wednesday, the obvious choice was soup. I selected a split pea soup recipe which you can find here. However, as soon as I realized the recipe called for a tablespoon of olive oil, but then never added it during the preparation, I struck out on my own. Here is my recipe:
Mud House Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped, plus leafy tops
1 large yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 32-ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
2 pounds green split peas
1 ham hock
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, optional (depending on the size of your ham hock you may not need additional salt)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper, optional
Water to add as needed during cooking
Tabasco or other pepper sauce to add before serving, optional

Here's How:Heat oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.Add garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon marjoram. Continue to cook and stir occasionally for 5 more minutes.
Add chicken broth, peas, and ham hock. I got this ham hock/shank from our local butcher. It is actually much bigger than the hocks you find in the grocery stores. If you use a large shank like this, you may want to omit the additional kosher salt.
Add celery tops, cover, and simmer on very low heat for one hour. Stir frequently and check broth level to prevent scorching. Add additional broth or water as needed.
After an hour, discard celery tops and add additional 1 teaspoon of thyme, half a teaspoon of marjoram, salt (if using), back pepper, and crushed red pepper, if using. Remove ham hock and let cool. Simmer for another hour, stirring and adding broth or water as needed.While simmering and once hock has cooled, pull tender meat from bone, discarding tough connective tissue and fat, and add to soup.
Serve with hot sauce of your choice. This is my current favorite. YUM! Note: If you prefer a creamier soup, cook an additional half hour or so and then use an immersion blender to blend peas and vegetable until smooth.