Instructions: 1. Wash and sort green split peas; Place in a 4 quart or larger stock pot. Add at twice the amount of water as split beans. Bring to a boil; cover; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand 1 hour.

2. With about 30 minutes of stand time remaining, lay out the remaining ingredients.

3. Warm a large nonstick sauce pan or wok. Add the oil and butter; swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Use a cooking spray if more oil is needed. Saute the onion, celery and carrot together for 5 minutes. Add the curry-cumin mix, hing, ground coriander and fennel seed. Stir to blend and warm. When aromatic, add the cilantro, thyme, bay leaves and chopped ham. Toss to combine. Add the pepper if using but do NOT add salt.

4. POT OF PEAS: Do not drain the peas. Skim any foam that has risen to the surface. Turn on the heat. Submerge a ham bone (if using) adding water to just cover. Transfer the sauteed vegetables to the soup pot. Stir gently to combine. When the pot boils, cover; reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. (Gap the cover a crack or use a diffuser to reduce the heat if necessary.) Cook undisturbed for 45-55 minutes

5. Remove the bone to a plate or cutting board. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Increase the heat and add the spinach and peas. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile scrap the meat from the bone and add the meat to the soup pot. Adjust the seasonings. Serve hot with garnish of lemon zest or more lemon thyme. Offer salt and pepper at the table. Great with rye or corn bread.

VEGETARIAN VARIATION:
* Omit meat ingredients. Cook the peas in a roasted vegetable broth.

Yield: 8 cups

NOTES : This soup is a combination of the standard one we find on most bags of split peas and a Country French recipe we found in Time Lifes Foods of the world. Thats where I first learned to add fresh peas and spinach. It always makes a fresh, chunky soup in about 2 hours. The seasonings in this dish are additions to the standard pepper and thyme. The curry is tease: its a appetizing aroma and a subtle after taste. It also contributes to smoothing it out: marrying all the ingredients.

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