Spilt Pea and Ham Soup

This soup is a pleasant blend of the too water pea soup and the "stand up a spoon in it" type. The bacon, which is removed at the end, gives an interesting smoky flavour.  This recipe serves

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter Butter, without salt
• 1 cup diced onions Onions, raw
• 1 cup diced celery Celery, raw
• 1 cup sliced carrots Carrots, raw
• ¼ cup dry sherry Alcoholic beverage, sherry
• 4 cups chicken broth Soup, chicken broth, canned, prepared with equal volume water, commercial
• 2 cups water Water, municipal
• 1 cup green split peas, rinsed Peas, split, mature seeds, raw
• 2 strips thick sliced bacon
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves Spices, thyme, ground
• 1 Bay leaf Spices, bay leaf, crumbled
• 2 cups frozen green peas Peas, green, frozen, unprepared
• 2 cups diced ham Turkey ham, cured turkey thigh meat
• ½ cup minced fresh parsley Parsley, raw
• 2 tbs unsalted butter( optional) Butter, without salt
• salt and pepper Peppers, sweet, red, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt
• FOR CREMA
• ½ cup sour cream Cream, sour, cultured
• 1 Tbs lemon Zest minced Lemon peel, raw
• 1 Tbs fresh mint, minced Peppermint, fresh

Method

[tips]