Pea Soup (Québécois Style)

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Roast ham hocks 30–40 min until browned, turning once partway through.
2. In a large pot, combine roasted ham hocks, onion, carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
4. Simmer 2.5–3 hours until meat is tender and broth is flavorful.
5. Remove ham hocks and cool slightly. Remove skin, bone, and excess fat from ham; shred meat into bite-sized pieces.
6. Strain the broth and discard solids. You should have about 8 cups.
7. Return strained broth to pot, and add soaked split peas, diced onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and thyme leaves.
8. Bring to gentle simmer and cook 60–75 minutes until peas are very tender.
9. If using miso, dissolve paste in ½ cup hot broth (do not boil miso directly) and stir into soup.
10. Add shredded ham and simmer 10–15 minutes.
11. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
12. For rustic soup, leave as is. For creamier texture, blend ⅓–½ of the soup with an immersion blender and stir to combine.
13. Ladle hot soup into bowls. Serve with crusty rye, sourdough, or brown bread and optional drizzle of olive oil, canola oil, or sprinkle of parsley.

Notes, tips, and variations

• The finished soup keeps for 5 days in the refrigerator. It also freezes well for up to 3 months; reheat gently and add water or broth if too thick.
• For a simpler recipe, substitute cubes of baked ham for the ham hocks.