Recipe for Berlin Pea Soup With Bacon

Ingredients

1 lb yellow dried peas
2 tablespoon cooking oil or fat
1 large carrot; scraped and diced
2 large onions; peeled and diced
2 leeks, white part only; sliced thinly
2 medium celery stalks; sliced thinly
2 1/2 quart water
1 salt and pepper; to taste
1/2 lb bacon; in 1 piece
2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon thyme; dried
1/4 teaspoon marjoram; dried

Instructions

Rinse peas. Heat fat in a large skillet and add carrot, 1 onion, leeks and celery. Saute 5 mins. Add water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add peas and bacon; cook slowly, covered, for about 1 hour, or until peas are cooked. Meanwhile, saute remaining onion in butter until tender. Add thyme and marjoram and mix into soup. To serve, take out bacon and chop or slice; return bacon to soup. Serves 6 to 8.

NOTES : A specialty soup of Berlin is one made with yellow dried peas and bacon, to which sliced sausages, such as Bockwurst, are often added.