Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham and Chipotle Infused Olive Oil

What surprised us when we made this dish was the brightness of flavor and really fresh taste. This is definitely not your mushy, heavy split pea soup. We adapted Ina Garten’s recipe using our Chipotle olive oil to sauté the aromatics as well as a garnish the dish at the end. We used Italian prosciutto but you could also crisp up some Spanish Serrano ham. This recipe uses healthy ingredients and doesn’t require cream to get a good consistency. The kids loved it too and probably didn’t realize they were getting a full serving of vegetables! To make it vegan omit the ham and substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons Olive This! Chipotle Infused Olive Oil
• ½ cup chopped shallots
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
• 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 6 cups frozen peas (three 10-ounce bags)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 thinly sliced Spanish Serrano ham or Italian prosciutto

Chop the garlic and shallots.  Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a heavy bottomed saucepan or a medium-sized Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the chipotle olive oil over medium heat. When the olive oil is just beginning to shimmer, add the chopped shallots.  Sauté for about 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until tender and just starting to brown. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another minute.

Add the 4 cups of chicken stock, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and 2 pounds of frozen peas and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

While waiting for the soup to boil, lay out the 6 slices of ham or prosciutto onto a rimmed baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray or brushed with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes until crispy watching it closely after the first 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool and crisp further.

After the 5 minutes of simmering is done, puree the soup using an immersion blender until the desired texture. Some like a bit of texture to their pea soup and some like it perfectly smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular blender by pureeing one cup at a time and transferring all of the soup back into the pot. Chicken stocks can vary in salt content so check the flavor and add more salt if necessary.

If needed, reheat the soup and serve in shallow bowls. Drizzle with chipotle olive oil and garnish with freshly ground black pepper and the crispy ham or prosciutto.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

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