Rinse the split peas in a sieve. Place them in an ovenproof casserole or Dutch oven with 12 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, skimming occasionally. Season with the salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, for 2 hours. In a frying pan melt half the butter and cook the onion, leek, and ham for 5 minutes, until golden. Stir onion and ham mixture into soup. Continue cooking over a very low heat for 1 hour. Stir very hard with a whisk. Serve very hot with croutons fried in the remaining butter.
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3/4 lb split peas
6 oz raw ham or smoked ham, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 leek white part only, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 stale French stick, cut into croutons
salt and pepper
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You can serve the soup as it is, or strain it, which makes it a finer dish.
