Ham And Pea Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 slices bacon
2 tablespoons bacon grease
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped, or more to taste
1 gallon water
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
ground white pepper to taste
1 pound ham, cubed
1 (16 ounce) package frozen peas

Preparation

Place bacon in a large pot and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels; crumble into pieces when cool.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add bacon grease to the pot. Add celery and onion; cook and stir until starting to brown. Slowly pour in water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until vegetables are soft, about 1 hour.
Return bacon pieces to the pot. Sprinkle in thyme, sage, onion powder, parsley, and white pepper; stir to combine. Add cubed ham; simmer soup for flavors to combine, about 30 minutes.
Stir peas into the soup; cook until very tender and they start to disintegrate into the soup, about 30 minutes.