Dave's Pea Soup and Bacon

Bacon bones are no longer the cheapie they once were, but even so, it is difficult to find anything more satisfying on a bleak, miserable rainy day than a hearty bowl of this delicacy. [Every now and again one of the plastic bacon manufacturers sells off its offcuts for a halfway decent price, but make sure you fry the bacon first in it's own water, and believe me, there's a hell of a lot of water to evaporate off. This will ensure that the bacon has some flavour to add to the soup.]

I use split peas to speed the process. Blue peas do need an overnight soaking in four times their volume of water.

Place in a large heavy-base saucepan about a cup and a half of green or yellow split peas. (Green is a more satisfying colour, I reckon.) Add 6 cups water, and about 500g of bacon bones. Bring to the boil and leave on low for about an hour. Stir occasionally.
Remove the bones and carefully strip any meat off them. While the bones are out of the pot and before the meat goes back in, apply a blender to the contents of the pot. Replace the meat in the pot, add a little water if the soup seems too thick for you, and cook for another 10-20 minutes. Stir regularly, or it will turn to burned sludge on the bottom of the pot.
Serve with toast and butter

Note. When you have been cooking any pulse, save the cooking water, and use it as the base for a (meat and) vegetable soup later on.

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