Split Pea Soup

Brisk, cold evenings beg for a good soup, but as the winter drags on and you've made your signature chicken soup ten two many times it's good to have some alternatives.

The beauty of soup is it's one pot nature. This recipe is my mother's and she has made it for as long as I can remember. It was one of the first foods my oldest son ate when he was getting into solids and I remember him loving it so much he got a frantic look in his eyes.

The thyme provides 90% of the flavor in this soup, so it's arguably one of the most important ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 lb dried split green peas

8 cups water
1/8 cup good olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions:

• In a large stock pot add peas, salt and olive oil to water and let simmer for about 2 hours.
• Once the peas begin to soften, stir frequently to keep from sticking to the bottom.
• Season with pepper and thyme.