Servings: Serves about 8 generous helpings, sure to fill up even the heartiest of appetites.

Ingredients:

– 1 pound dried split peas, rinsed and sorted
– 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth, for that nourishing base
– 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into small, hopeful cubes
– 2 ribs of celery, also diced, with as much care as you’d plant your spring garden
– 1 medium onion, chopped fine as last year’s quilt squares
– 2 garlic cloves, minced, as fragrant as our lilac breeze in May
– 1 ham hock, for that smoky whisper of yesteryear (optional, of course)
– 1 bay leaf, as singular as a promise
– Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
– A pinch of dried thyme, for that bit of earthiness reminiscent of our fertile soils.