split pea soup with bacon! :)

mmmh so this turned out WONDERFULLY!! O.M.F.G.
even DJ who is a self-proclaimed "non-soup fan" said it was "pretty damn good" but then again he is of the opinion that bacon makes everything better (which it does).

So I used this recipe after poring over a number of options...
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Split-Pea-Soup-with-Bacon-and-Rosemary-103872

and wow - sooo not disappointed! It is creamy and rich and flavourful and although the rosemary *smells* kind of overpowering when you first start boiling this pot! *mmmh!*

My substitutions/changes:

• I used 2 cups of yellow split peas (I'm Canadian - I like yellow peas in my soup! *lol*) And I used the 2 cups b/c of comments on the recipe stating that it wasn't "thick"...WTF? Split pea soup should be thick & delicious and creamy and warm and mmmmhmm.. yes.
• I didn't have any leeks so I threw in 3 shallots
• I used 3 large cloves of garlic (hell. yes.)
• I used 5 slices of bacon b/c I'm a gluttonous bacon slut.
• I don't have canned broths, so using my handy dandy organic bouillon cubes (no msg!) I used 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of veggie broth and 4 cups of plain old water. And it was plenty of flavour (and salt!) You could totally get away with 1 bouillon cube as long as you have the 8 cups of liquid (which is the rough conversion of 4 x 14.5oz cans...at least that's what google tells me!)
• I used my immersion blender to blend the shit out of all the veggies & peas and bacon and the result is this creamy delicious soup..mmmhmm. TO DIE FOR. YES.
• It took 1.5 hours for my peas to be cooked to my preference (I like soft & falling apart).
• Actually my *biggest* recommendation is  NOT TO ADD ANY SALT until it's done. With the bacon and the broths, there is plenty of salt. Seriously. Almost too salty. But not. Because it's perfect. :)
• Again - you might want to go crazy with the spices (ok so I added an extra bay leaf! *lol*) but the simplicity of the flavours in this make it so comforting. I want to like, get into a bathtub full of warm split pea soup and like, revel in it's creamy depths (is that too weird? maybe. yes I went there.)
• OK OK I made a shit tonne of changes - here I'll write the whole *new* recipe out for you! (and for me so I remember what I did).

...so the new "Dee" tested recipe looks like this:

Dee's Split Pea & Bacon Soup

5 bacon slices, chopped
1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups organic chicken broth
2 cups organic vegetable broth
4 cups hot water
2 cups yellow split peas, picked over for yucky things and rinsed
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled

1. Sauté bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown.
2. Add onion, shallots, carrot and and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
4. Add broth, water, peas, bay leaves and rosemary and bring soup to boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, for about 1 and a half hours (90 minutes).
6. Use immersion blender to blend soup into creamy delicious consistency. (If you like chunky pea soup, I'd take out half, blender the rest, and then re-add the whole peas. Or you can skip this step altogether. I don't care - MAKE SOUP THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY!)
7. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

Done & done! Easy peasy & now I have like, 4 little frozen containers in the freezer for my lunches *and* a big bowl for today for lunch! :) I love looking in the freezer and finding lunch all made for me already.
And honestly - soup and a nice big salad and maybe a toasted slice of GF/CF bread that I baked is the *perfect* lunch! (which is exactly what I have waiting for me today for lunch! 1:00pm get here already!! *shakes fist*)