Split Pea Soup

There are few things I love more than a well-made soup, and split pea is an American classic.

Soak two cups of green split peas overnight. Rinse them a few times, put them in a pot of cold water with two bay leaves, bring it up to a boil, and then set at a low simmer while you prepare everything else.

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Dice half a pound of bacon and cook over medium heat. Put the bacon in the pot with the peas and reserve the drippings. Dice up three stalks of celery into small pieces, leaves and all, and put in the pot as well. A handful of parsley would be good too, but I didn't have any. Cut a large yellow onion and four carrots into large chunks. Coat with the bacon drippings and a sprinkling of salt, and put into the oven for 40 minutes. Stir it halfway through so it gets caramelized all over.

Pour your caramelized vegetables into the pot, and simmer until the peas are very very soft. Go long rather than short on this. I simmered for an hour and a half after adding my carrots and onions.

Put the soup into a blender in batches. Add a quarter teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste, then blend until smooth. Season to taste, adding a little water if the soup is too thick.