Sunday Dinner Split Pea Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package yellow split peas, rinsed
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (9 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix (recommended is Lipton)
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, rinsed and sliced
2 large vidalia onions, chopped
6 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
1 large leek, stripped of their outer leaves, rinsed, and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons soy sauce or 4 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

In a large pot, combine peas, broth, water, and soup mix. Stir well. Add carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, mustard, tamari, and balsamic vinegar. If mixture seems too thick, pour in a little more water.
Bring to a full boil over medium, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 2 hours, stirring and skimming surface occasionally.
Remove from heat and let sit for an hour at room temperature.
Puree, in several batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.