Pea Soup

For some people, it's the falling leaves. For others it's the crisp weather and change of wardrobe. For me, though, soup is the best thing about fall.

Again yesterday, as I was riding my bike home in the cool air, all I wanted to do was go home and put on a pot of soup for dinner. I didn't have any stock on hand, nor did I have a lot of time before diner, so my options were more limited then usual. What could I whip up in no time, let simmer unattended while I took care of some other projects around the house, and leave for Kevin to reheat later when he got home?

Pea soup perfectly fit the bill perfectly. Here's a super soup that even a novice will find easy to make.

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced bacon (in used the pre-diced kind; if that's not available, dice two of three slices of thick cut bacon)
1 onion
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 16-ounce bag of dried green peas
2 potatoes
Salt and pepper

In a medium-sized pot, add olive oil and bacon. Allow the bacon to cook until it is brown, about three minutes. Dice onion and add to the pot. Allow onion to cook with bacon until it turns translucent, about three minutes. Slice carrots into rounds and dice celery. Add to pot and cook for two minutes. Add green peas.

Cover the contents of the pot by one inch with water. (This should be around one quart of water.) Bring water to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Dice the potatoes and add to the simmering water. Allow everything to cook until the peas are falling apart, about one hour and 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.