Witches Brew with Crusty Swine (Pea Soup with Crispy Bacon)
Halloween is one of the best times of the year to unearth that big cauldron (read: "crockpot" or "soup pot") and start brewing -- not just because you get to be a kitchen witch with your brew a-bubbling away, but because a warm bowl of soup on a cool fall night is about as cozy as October can get. Light a fire and let's get your cauldron's bubbling!
Equipment
- Stock pot or crock pot
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 medium white onions chopped finely
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 6 carrots medium sliced, on dias
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 8 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 pound dried split peas
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Keep the fat in the pot.
- Stir the onions, garlic into the fat in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, stock and split peas and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the split peas are very soft and falling apart, about 1-1/2 hours or more. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and crumble with the reserved bacon on top.
Notes
- For a vegan version of this soup, simply omit the bacon.
- If you are using store-bought stock, I prefer Kitchen Basics over other brands.
- For a "smoother" version of the soup, simply use an immersion blender or place soup in a stand blender and return to the pot.