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Pea: Bacony Split Pea Soup

Source of Recipe

Beat That! Cookbook


List of Ingredients

1/4 pound bacon slices
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, chopped
1 pound dried split peas, picked over
2 1/2 quarts water
1 smoked ham hocks
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice


Recipe

In a heavy soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until it's crisp. Take the bacon out of the pot and drain it on paper towels; you won't be using it again until the soup's cone. Pour off all but 4 tbl. of the bacon fat. Over low heat, stirring frequently, cook the onion and carrots in the bacon fat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer the soup over low heat, uncovered, for 2 hours.

You may need to add another cup or so of water if the soup starts to get too thick before the time is up. Carefully lift the ham hock out of the soup and remove from it what usable meat you can. Chop the meat and return it to the soup pot. Fish out the bay leaf and discard it. Check the seasoning; it's unlikely you'll need salt, but you may want to add more pepper or allspice. Serve each bowl of soup with bacon bits on top. Serves 4, making 8 cups of soup.