Vegetarian Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped carrots (I used 1/2 cup)
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 sprig fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 1/3 cups dried split peas
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and thyme, season lightly with pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Add the stock and split peas, and bring to a boil quickly over high heat.
3. Lower the heat and simmer until the peas are tender, about 1 hour.
4. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender and stir.
5. If the soup is too thick, thin it by adding a little more stock. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil for 15 seconds.
6. Add salt and additional pepper to taste.

NOTE: Do not add salt until the peas are fully cooked, because salt will prevent the peas from becoming tender.

Cooking pea soup with the ham bone adds flavor (so the meat eaters say) but it also adds a lot of salt. I cubed lean ham slices and added some to the soup for my ladies that like ham in their pea soup.