LouAnn's Split Pea Soup
Makes 8 to 10 first-course servings
* 1 pound split peas (hubs used yellow split peas)
* 3 quarts ham stock or chicken broth
* 4 bay leaves
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 pound bulk chicken sausage, any flavor, well browned and drained (note: he used half that amount of Italian sausage, which is what we had on hand; the flavor is outstanding, and I figure that halving a high-fat pork sausage compensated for the calorie reduction you'd get with chicken sausage)
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 large carrots, peeled and chunked as large as you like
* 2 large onions, chunked as large as you like
* 4 stalks celery, chunked as large as you like
* Pinch of granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 3/4 cup chunked yellow waxy potatoes
* Salt to taste
Instructions: In a soup pot, bring the split peas, stock, bay leaves and thyme to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; add the cooked sausage and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the carrots, onions and celery until lightly browned. Lower the heat to medium, sprinkle the vegetables with sugar and add the butter. Continue to saute until the vegetables are caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan, stirring to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom.
Add all of the skillet ingredients to the soup pot along with the potatoes. continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Remove the bay leaves and season to taste with sale.