Place your split peas in a large pot or bowl to soak- they'll swell, so use plenty of water. You can soak them overnight before making this recipe or day of (I've had good results with soaking them for about 7 hours the day I made the soup).

Drain the peas and put them in your soup pot. Add 6 cups water (or broth if you'd prefer). Add the onion, ham and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

 Bring to a boil. In the first ten minutes or so of cooking time, skim the foam off the top.

Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

Continue to simmer until your meat is fully cooked and green peas are very soft and creamy, about 75-90 minutes. If you have a small ham shank that cooks much more quickly than the peas, you can choose to remove it when it is fully cooked and cover it with foil to keep warm while the peas finish cooking.

 You can either cut up your ham and return it to the soup or slice it and serve it on the side. Taste your soup and add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

 I highly recommend serving this soup with your favorite mustard on the side, and some really good crusty bread!