Hungarian Split Pea Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb yellow split peas
1 small ham shank or 1 small a 1 lb smoked pork butt
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 parsley root, diced
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 parsnip, root diced
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
6 peppercorns
3 quarts water
1/4 cup pearl barley, -optional-

Preparation

Wash and drain yellow peas and place in soup pot with 3 quarts of cold water.
Add ham or pork butt, along with vegetables and spices and optional barley.
Bring water to a boil, turn down heat and slowly cook until all veggies and peas are soft.
Taste for seasoning, and now add required salt. (Ham and pork butt are salty, do not add salt at the beginning of cooking).
Cooking will take about an hour and a half.
If the soup is not as thick as you like it, cook it a little longer. The soup should be quite thick.
Serve in a large bowl with a slice of ham or pork butt in each serving.
Add some crusty bread and a brisk light salad for a satisfying meal.