Yellow Split Pea Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 lb yellow split peas
1 lb carrot, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 lb celery, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 smoked ham hock
8 cups chicken stock
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the remaining ingredients, raise the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered about 2 hours. Stir occassionally, soup will become very thick and creamy.
Remove the ham hock and chop as little or as much of the meat as desired and add into the soup.