Old Fashioned Split Pea Soup

1 lb dried green peas

2 white onions, diced

1 white onion, whole

20 to 30 whole cloves

2 C carrots, peeled and sliced

2 lbs ham hocks

7 C water

1 t thyme

1 t ground ginger

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t pepper

Grainy mustard for garnish

Place dried peas in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 8 hours. Strain them and rinse them. Using the tip of a knife, poke slits into the whole onion and place a clove into each of the slits. Place the ham hocks in a large stock pot. Add the water, carrots, peas, diced onion, whole onion with cloves and stir well. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 90 minutes. Remove impurities as it cooks by skimming them off the top with a spoon. Remove 4 cups of the mixture and put it into a blender. Make sure the cap is off because hot liquids can cause the cap to blow off. Blend this portion of the soup and then return it to the pot. Add the thyme, ginger, salt and pepper. Cook another 30 to 60 minutes, until it thickens. Remove the ham hocks and the whole onion, which you can discard. Chop the ham off the ham hocks and return the chopped pieces to the pot. Discard the bones. Stir well and then ladel into bowls. Serve each bowl with a dollop of grainy mustard.