Pea Soup

As children, my brothers and I often sat on the back steps and shelled peas. Later we discovered dried peas 
when my dad made huge cauldrons of slightly smoky-tasting pea soup over a campfire. Both Canada and Holland 
have claimed this dish as their own. Pea soup is best served with freshly ground Tellicherry 
peppercorns and a pinch of garlic salt. Make croutons by frying bread cubes in butter.

    4 cups dry split green peas
    2 yellow onions, sliced
    1 leftover ham bone from the Glazed Ham Recipe
    2 garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press
    1 teaspoon dried summer savory leaves
    ½ teaspoon celery seeds
    ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
    2 dried bay leaves
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
    12 cups water
    2 cups fat-free milk
    1 teaspoon seasoning salt
    ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    ½ cup whipping cream

1.  In a 12-quart stockpot, place the peas, onions, ham bone,
     garlic, savory, celery seeds, thyme, bay, parsley, water, milk,
     salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until simmering.

2.  Cook on low for 3 hours or until the peas are soft. Stirring    
     occasionally. Remove the ham bone and meat.

3.  Purée the hot soup in a blender in about 5 batches or use an
     immersion blender—hand held blender with long handle and
     rotary blades at the end—to puree soup in the pot. If using
     a blender, pour small batches into a bowl then return it to
     the stockpot when all the soup has been blended.

4.  Cut meat on the bone into bite-size pieces, then add to soup.

5.  Reheat, then whisk in cream. Remove from heat immediately.

6.  Serve soup in bowls topped with croutons.

     Hint: When blending the soup, be very careful not to overfill
     the blender. The hot soup will splatter and can burn your
     hands and arms. It is best to blend the soup in too many
     batches than too few. Blending will give you a delicious
     creamy soup.

     Makes 8 servings

Glazed Ham

A mahogany sheen covers this Soul Food favorite. Plan on starting the ham three-and-a-half hours before serving. This ham will serve twenty people and you will have leftovers for sandwiches or pea soup, so save the ham bone.

    1 (10-14 pound) whole ham with rind and bone
    Whole cloves
    2 teaspoons mustard powder
    2 teaspoons powdered ginger
    1 cup dark brown sugar
    ¼ cup light corn syrup
    2 tablespoons mild molasses

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 . Use a nonstick roasting pan with
     a rack or line a regular roasting pan with aluminum foil.
 
2.  Carefully remove the rind and place ham, fat side up, on the
     roasting rack. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours.

3.  Scrape off most of the visible fat. Score the top with diagonal     
     cuts 2 inches apart and ¼ inch deep. Place cloves where the cuts
     intersect.

4.  In a small bowl, mix the mustard, ginger, brown sugar, corn 
     syrup, and molasses. Spread onto the warm ham with a
     pastry brush. Bake for another hour or until the internal
     temperature reaches 160 .

5.  Cover with foil and wait 15 minutes before carving.

     Makes 12 servings