REALLY Decadent Split Pea Soup with Pancetta

Hio Folks,

Many of you have been asking about when I am going to post a new blog. Well, here it is! I thought I would pass on a yummy recipe I created when I was freezing my butt off last month. Oh, it's pretty good for you, too!

REALLY Decadent Split Pea Soup with Pancetta

Ingredients:

2-3 shallots - sliced
1/2 bag baby carrots - sliced
1 carton chicken stock (I like organic, low sodium)
2-3 cups of water
1/4 to 1/3 pound of Pancetta - chopped (In my opinion, Prosciutto is just a bit too much - "pricewise" and "flavorwise")
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
2 tablespoons dried Herbs de Provence
1 cup dried red lentils
1/2 cup dried green split peas
salt and pepper to taste

Place soup pot on element and heat the pot at medium heat. Add the olive oil and toast the thyme and Herbs de Provence for a moment. The add the shallots. Sauté until soft and then add the garlic. Then add the carrots coating them with the oil, herb and shallot/garlic mixture and sauté them a bit. Finally add the stock, water, lentils, split peas and salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and bring to a boil. After boiling reduce the soup to a simmer. The soup will be done when the lentils and split peas have lost their shape. This usually takes 1 to 1/2 hours.

Bon appetite!

Ren