Split Pea and Ham Soup

I'm back in business with a brand new laptop. Sorry for so much delay but I've got several posts ready to go for the coming week. Here's a little start, just right for the cold weather we have right now.

This is so easy and plenty hearty enough for a dinner when served with some good bread.
Chop finely ½ onion, 2 carrots, 1 large stalk of celery. Cook in a pot with a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium low heat with salt and pepper. You want the vegetables to get soft but not brown. Rub the leaves of one sprig of rosemary into the pot and add 1 to 2 cups of chopped up ham, depending on how ham-y you like it. Pour in about ½ a cup of beer or white wine and let it boil and cook a couple minutes then pour in one package of dry split green peas and enough chicken stock or water to double the volume. It will take at least that much liquid, but probably more so check back on the soup while it’s cooking and simply add more water if it seems too thick. Now just let it simmer. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper toward the end of the cooking time because the ham will add a certain amount of saltiness. I think ours took about an hour and a half to fully cook.
You can skip the ham and stock for a vegetarian version. Do exactly the same with lentils for lentil soup.