Italian yellow pea soup

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 300 g peas, yellow, dried
• 1.2 liters of chicken broth, more if needed
• 1 can tomatoes, chopped, 400 g (pelati)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 50 g leek
• 125 g carrot(s)
• 125 g celery
• 3 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
• 150 g bacon
• 120 g onion(s)
• 100 g tomatoes, dried in oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp Pul Biber
• 1 tsp basil, dried
• 1 tbsp sage leaves, dried
• 2 tsp, heaped orange zest
• n. B. Balsamic vinegar, dark, optional

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 2 hours

well seasoned and slightly spicy

Soak the yellow peas for about 24 hours. Then drain and rinse. Place the chicken stock, tomatoes, baking soda, and peas in a pot and simmer for about 1 1/4 hours until soft. Slice the leek, finely dice the carrots, celery, onion, and bacon. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes without oil. Press the garlic through a garlic press and crumble the sage leaves. Brown the bacon in oil, add the onions, and continue to cook until the onions begin to brown. Then let it cool. After about 1 hour of cooking, add the leek, celery, carrots, bacon and onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, orange zest, pul biber, basil, and sage to the soup and finish cooking until the peas are tender. Add a little more stock, if desired. Season to taste, divide among plates, and add a few dashes of balsamic vinegar to the soup, if desired.