We just cooked a huge ham, and what to do with the bone??? These bones are sacred in our family; if I don’t have time to cook something with it right away, I throw it in a freezer bag along with the scrap meat and save it for a cold day. I love to make pinto beans with it (but nobody else seems to like the residual effects?!), or potato soup (but I made that last week), or split pea soup. That’s the ticket this week, here’s the recipe from our cookbook that I originally received from Gloria Taylor at Retzlaff Vineyards.  ~nancy mueller~

COUNTRY PEA SOUP

• 1 pound dried green split peas
• 6 to 7 cups water
• 1/4 cup Chardonnay (optional)
• 1 leftover ham bone or 1/2 pound bacon
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 to 4 potatoes, coarsely chopped
• 4 to 5 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the split peas in a strainer. In a large soup pot over high heat, combine the peas, water, and Chardonnay and bring to a boil. Add the ham bone, garlic, onion, potatoes, carrots, parsley, cayenne, bay leaf, and cloves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 11/2 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat. Discard the bay leaf. Remove the ham bone and shred the meat from the bone, discarding any excess fat. Return the meat to the soup. Taste, correct the seasonings, and serve.