The night before you plan to make this soup, soak the
feet or hocks in brine (1 tablespoon of salt per quart
of water). They should be completely covered. Put the
split peas to soak in plain cool water. There should
be about 2 inches of water over the peas--they will
swell quite a bit. The meat should be put in the
refrigeratior overnight; the peas may be, too, but it
is less important.
In the morning, take the meat out of the brine, put
it in a 8 qt. pot, add the peas, onion and 2 quarts of
fresh water. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that
comes to the top, then reduce the heat and simmer for
about 6 or more hours, stirring occasionally so the
peas do not stick to the bottom of the pot. The meat
should be fallng off the bones, and the soup should be
quite thick and fairly smooth.
Take the meat and bones out of the soup and cool
slightly. Take the meat off the bones and cut into
smaller pieces. Put the meat back into the soup and
reheat if necessary. Serve with a small pat of butter
in the center of each bowl.
