Lentil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. dried lentils
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 qt. water
1 c. celery, sliced
2 bay leaves
3 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 large potato, peeled and grated
1 meaty ham bone

Preparation

Rinse and pick over lentils; soak overnight.
Drain well.
In a large pot, saute bacon until golden.
Add carrots and onions, and saute until onions are golden.
Add celery, water, lentils, seasonings, potato and ham bone.
Simmer covered for 4 hours until vegetables are tender and broth is thick.
Remove ham bone and return bits of meat to soup, discarding bone.
Soup keeps for a long time in refrigerator and freezes well.