Last week I wrote about my newfound appreciation for the humble split pea. Since then I've been experimenting with LOTS of split pea recipes, but this is still one of my favorites! It's simple, extremely healthy and absolutely delicious! It's not the prettiest soup, and I wouldn't serve it if I was hosting a fancy schmancy dinner dinner party. But it is warming, filling comforting food perfect for the winter months!

Ingredients

• 300g green split peas
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
• 2 carrots finely chopped
• 1 leek finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• Vegetable stock (or water)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place onion, celery, carrots, leek and garlic in a large saucepan and sauté on a low heat in a little olive oil for a few minutes or until softened.

Rinse split peas under running water then add to saucepan.

Add vegetable stock and/or water covering the beans. Make sure you add an extra 3-4 cm of stock/water over the peas and veggies as the peas will expand as they absorb the liquid.

Bring to boil then add the bay leaf and simmer on a low heat for 2-2.5 hours. Add more stock or water if you need to.

Handy hint: don't salt this soup until you are just about to serve it. Your soup will evaporate as it is cooking, so a soup that has just the right amount of salt at the start may be too salty after an hour or two of cooking!

When the soup is ready you can serve it "as is" for a rustic texture (my fave!) or for a smoother texture, use a stick blender to blend all ingredients together.

Hint: If you add a ham bone to this recipe, it will become pea and ham soup!