Christmas Basket

The day we visited Glacier Bay National Park everyone on the Holland America Eurodam was treated to a hot bowl of:

Dutch Pea Soup

6 thick bacon slices, chopped

1 small onion, diced

5 ribs celery, diced

5 carrots, diced

6 quarts ham stock

1 ham bone with meat

2.5 pounds green split peas

2 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

6 pepper corns

Cook bacon slowly in a heavy sauce pot to render the fat. Do not brown. Add vegetables and sweat in fat until slightly softened. Add ham stock and bone, bring to a boil. Rinse split peas, drain and add to pot. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to pot. Cover and simmer until peas are tender, about an hour. Remove ham bone and sachet. Pass soup through food mill. Bring back to a simmer. If soup is too thick, add more stock or water. Season to taste. Trim meat from ham bone and add to soup.