What's for Lunch? Split Pea with Smoked Turkey Soup!

It has been rainy and gross for the past three days and nothing calls for soup more than rainy days.  My grandmother made the best split pea soup.  Back in the day, I didn't eat meat, so she would make a special batch just for me without the ham in it.  Now-a-days, I ask myself, "what was I thinking not eating ham??"...but that's another story.  In this batch, I replaced the ham with smoked turkey, but it tastes very similar.  If you can't find a smoked turkey leg, feel free to add a ham steak, ham hock, etc. etc. to add the smoky flavor and meat.  And in our family, we have a little joke.  My grandmother would tell us every single time she made this soup, "you know, if it gets too thick, you can just add a little water to thin it out".  Wise words of advice to heed when reheating.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!  Serve it with a grilled cheese...and rain, rain, go away!!

Split Pea with Smoked Turkey Soup
Serves 6

1 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 16-oz bag split peas
6 cups chicken stock
6-8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped (or throw the whole bundle in and fish out the stems at the end)
1 smoked turkey leg (remove outer skin)
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil.  Add onion, carrot and celery and saute until they start to get soft, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic and saute one minute more.  Add peas and stir.  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Add 4 cups water, bring to a boil.  Add in thyme and turkey leg.  Reduce to simmer and cover. Stir occasionally and add more broth as needed.  After about 45 minutes, the soup should be starting to get very thick.  Keep adding broth and simmering until peas are tender. 30 minutes before serving, remove turkey leg to cutting board.  Let cool and then cut meat from bone and dice into small pieces.  Add back to soup.  When ready, serve!

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