Pea Soup with Vegetables

I have been making a lot of soup lately. It is technically still winter and a nice hot bowl of soup makes a warm and satisfying meal. I bought a package of yellow split peas, and found them in the cupboard. It got me thinking about pea soup. Split Pea and Ham soup was a soup that we made at least once a week when I worked at Delitalia. It was also one of my favorites. With that in mind, I created:

Pea Soup with Vegetables:

3 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 cup dried yellow split peas
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 a red onion chopped,finely
1 carrot chopped, finely
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
handful of fresh thyme

In a pot, add the chopped bacon, onion and garlic to fry. Once onions are soft,add stock and water, split peas and carrots and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, and simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add green peas and corn, salt and pepper, and fresh thyme. Simmer for another 20 minutes or until all vegetables are cooked. Re-season, and serve hot.

I liked the chunky texture of this soup. I also liked how the split peas changed the texture from a broth to a chowder consistency. The bacon added a nice salty body, that gave the soup it's heartiness. It was fast and easy, and tasted even better the next day. The green peas added a glimpse of Spring...A soup for all seasons!