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I like a silky thick Split Pea Soup. Some like it with roughage, but I like it silky.  The way I make it silky is with a hand blender.

Ingredients:

2 celery stalk (Peeled and chopped)
½ onion (chopped)
3 carrot (shredded) (Retain one carrot for later)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 potato (peeled and cut into squares)
~4 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 cup ham cut into squares (I also added Tasso, a Cajun ham and apple chicken sausage)
1/2 Lb. split peas (I use the New Orleans Favorite, Camellia brand, rinsed)
1 bay leaf
Sea Salt
Pepper
Water
Olive Oil

Prepare the onions, carrots and celery and set aside in a bowl and place in the frig. 

Put the pea in a pot and cover with water and gently cook until the pea get medium soft.  Remove and drain.  Put the potatoes in another pot and add water and boil until the potatoes get half cooked.  Remove and drain.  In the soup pot add the oil, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and on low heat sweat the veggies.  Add the white wine.  Return the peas and potato.  Add some broth just to cover the peas, add salt, pepper and bay leaf and cook on medium until the peas get soft. 

Remove the bay leaf and set aside.  With the hand blender blend the peas and veggies until silky.  Return the bay leaf and if needed add broth.  The soup should not be too liquid or too thick.  Just silky.  Add the meat and cook 20 minutes.  Serve with bread.

As of 3/30/21