Speedy Split Pea Soup with Bacon

Yield: 6

Ease of Preparation: Easy
A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into this dish. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don't like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!

Ingredients:

Speedy Split Pea Soup with Bacon

1 pkg bacon, chopped
1 x large onion, chopped
2 x carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled sliced thinly
2 cups dried split peas
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 x bay leaves
1 tbsp dried rosemary
Salt and pepper
2 cups of frozen peas
1 tbsp of any vinegar

Directions:

Speedy Split Pea Soup with Bacon

Place bacon in a large soup pot over a medium high heat.
When the bacon is brown and crispy drain away the fat, leaving about 2 tbsp in the pot.
Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pot and sauté for a few minutes.
Add the dried peas, stock, bay leaves, rosemary and salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until the soup is thick and the peas are completely soft.
Stir in frozen peas and stir to heat through.
Stir in the vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.