Pea Soup

dried yellow split peas 500 mL butter/fresh or salted pork fat 15 mL large onion, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, finely chopped 1 carrots, scraped and finely chopped 2 Chicken or Vegetable Broth 500 mL water 1.5 L smoked ham, diced 125 g chopped fresh thyme (or 0.5 mL dried thyme) 5 mL bay leaf 1 sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Place peas in a saucepan and cover with 3 L of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and rinse the peas; set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter or render fatback over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrots. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add broth and water, ham, thyme, bay leaf and peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until peas are very soft, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.