Slowcooker Pea and Ham Soup (with veggies)

Tank approved, and asked for bread
to mop it up

Important Ingredients
Ham hock - a big one is what we use (or two small)
500g split peas (I used a 7Litre pot, so use less split peas for a smaller pot!)
1/3 250g Phili Cream Cheese

Today's Optional Ingredients
Onion (really good for flavour)
Parsnip
Turnip
Sweet Potato
handful of lentils

Other Optional Ingredients
Carrots
Potato
Zucchini
Celery
Anything else I missed?

Method:

Clearly one of Christian's favourites,
he loves the meaty chucks of goodness!

Cut off the "skin" and excess fat on the ham hock
Veggies only need to fit in, they don't need to be chopped up
Cover with water

* Use slow (number 1) setting if you won't be back for 8 hours or so
* Use "fast" (number 2) setting if you plan to need the soup in three to four hours
* Cook on the stove top if you need it in 2 hours.

* When you are nearly ready to eat, carefully pull out the ham hock.

* Wizz up the soup and clump of cream cheese with a stab/bar mixer (I bought mine for $20 at Big W because my expensive ones keep breaking)

* Then cut up ham hock, removing excess fat and grizzle. Put these pieces back in the wizzed up soup.

Serve with yummy, buttered, mini loaves of bread that have spent 5 minutes in the oven.