Split Pea Soup with Teet's Pure Pork Smoked Sausage & Cheesy Jalapeno Smoked Sausage Cornbread

My wife was sick this weekend, so I made her some Split Pea Soup. And what's Split Pea Soup without cornbread, you may ask? That's what I asked myself, and then I got my butt in gear and made her some kickin' cornbread.I hope the dinner made ya feel a little better, Kathy!

Before I write the recipe, I'd like to thank Teet's Food Store in Ville Platte, LA .They very generously sent all of 37 Cooks an awesome sampler of their smoked meats, which we have been using in our recipes. The sampler included Smoked Pure Pork Sausage. I'm a butcher by trade, and I've made many different kinds of sausage, but their sausage was unique and one of the tastiest sausage I've ever had! Thank you so much, Teet's ! Here's one of the recipes I made.

Split Pea Soup with Teet's Pure Pork Smoked Sausage & Cheesy Jalapeno Smoked Sausage Cornbread

by Matt Baird

1 pound bag of green split peas

12 ounces Teet's Pure Pork Sausage, diced

1 large onion, chopped

1 head of garlic, chopped (Most recipes call for one clove, hahaha, can ya tell I love garlic?)

8 ounces of carrots, sliced or chopped

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 bay leaf

6 cups of chicken or beef stock, or water

Put all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about an hour or until the peas are soft and falling apart. Remove the bay leaf. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve. Some folks like to puree the soup with an immersion blender before serving, but we prefer ours a little chunky.

Cheesy Jalapeno Smoked Sausage Cornbread:

6 ounces Teet's Smoked Jalapeno Cheese Pork Sausage, chopped

2 sticks butter, melted

3/4 cup light brown sugar

4 eggs

1 can creamed corn (My wife bought the creamed corn by mistake. We never eat it, so I used it here to get it outta my pantry.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cornmeal 

4 or 6 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix the melted butter, eggs, and creamed corn in a mixing bowl. Add the cheese, sausage, and peppers. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cornmeal and baking powder until combined. Add the egg mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake in a 300 degree oven for an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.