A Recipe for Split Pea Soup

by Andrew Elmore

• 2 cups dried split peas
• 8 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 cup barley
• 1 large, or 3 small potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup of frozen or canned corn

Look through the peas and remove stones and bits of dirt.

Put the peas, barley, water, salt, and bay leaves in a big pot. Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down so it's still bubbling but not boiling fiercely. Leave the lid of the pot ajar so that the peas don't boil over.

Chop the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Cut the potatoes into 1inch cubes.

When the peas are soft (usually about 30min - 45min), add the chopped vegetables, potatoes and thyme.

Turn the heat until the soup is barely bubbling, and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots & potatoes are cooked.

5 minutes before serving, add the corn.

Serve this with cornbread. I highly recommend the cornbread recipe in the Laurels Kitchen Bread Book.

This recipe makes probably 8-10 servings.