Lentil and Split Pea Soup

This is another recipe that's been lurking in the archives: it's from the December 1994 Bon Appétit, which I have in hard copy form in my apartment because I'm That Kind of a Person. Made as written, it's not very vegetarian, but you could leave out the smoked pork products and it would still be quite good--if you had a Parmesan rind lying around your refrigerator, you could put that in, as I did, which would add a nice savory edge. One more thing: I used the ham hock to make broth and then didn't use chicken broth. It's an easy enough thing to do if you have time and/or a Crock Pot.

Lentil and Split Pea Soup

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 leek, cleaned and chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup lentils, rinsed

1/2 cup split peas, rinsed

6 cups chicken broth

1 smoked ham hock

1 bay leaf

1/2 t. dried thyme

1 smallish potato, peeled and cubed

2 T. red wine

In a big pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until it's rendered and brown. Scoop out the bacon and sauté the onion, carrot, leek, and celery in the bacon fat until light brown. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that smoked pork products tend to be salty) and the garlic; sauté another minute. Add the lentils, split peas, chicken broth, ham hock, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the cubed potato and red wine and cook for another 20 minutes, or until the lentils, peas, and potato are all tender. Fish out the bay leaf and the ham hock. If you want, you can cut the meat off the ham hock, cube it, and put it back in the soup. If you like your soup on the thick side, get out an immersion blender, if you have one (you could also ladle a few cups of soup into your blender and turn it on, but be careful!) and blend until the soup has some body but also still some chunks. Top with the bacon, if you haven't already eaten it as a snack, and ham chunks. Serve on a cold day. Should serve about 6.