Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 6-8 hours
So I started out with some onion, carrots & celery … a mirepoix, so to say. Put them in a saute pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Saute that mixture until the onions are transparent. Remove from pan and set them aside. Now in the same pan toss in some cut up bacon or salt pork. Fry it until it is cooked … it does not need to be crispy because it is going in the soup and will not stay crispy anyhow. Throw the veggies and meat into a crock pot (slow cooker) and add about 6 cups of stock (I like chicken the best … if you do not have chicken stock you can use hot water and bullion to make the stock … or just throw the water in and some bullion cubes, they will dissolve during the cook cycle). Now put your favorite kind of legumes in there. Today mine are split peas. This soup would be good with great northern beans or any white bean … maybe even with lentils. You do not need to soak those legumes overnight since they are in the crock. If you wanted to make a quicker soup on the stove top soaking them overnight will take 30 minutes off of the cook time.
Put your crock on high for a couple of hours until it gets really cooking then you can back off to medium. You will need to cook it for 6-8 hours depending upon the wattage of your crock.
Serve with your favorite crackers or some fresh baked bread or rolls.
Bon Appetit!
