Hearty split pea soup seasoned with smoked ham hocks, onion, celery, carrots and marjoram.

Split Pea Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks

2 teaspoons dried leaf marjoram

1 1/2 cups green split peas

8 cups water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
2. Add pork and marjoram; stir 1 minute. Add peas, then water, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer soup until pork and vegetables are tender and peas are falling apart, stirring often, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
3. Transfer hocks to bowl.
4. Puree 5 cups soup in batches in blender. (Caution! Hot liquids create steam which will blow the top off the blender! Be sure to securely hold blender lid down!) Return to pot.
5. Cut pork off bones. Dice pork; return pork to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Serves 6.