Pea stew with bacon and mint

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g yellow split peas
• 200 g bacon, streaky, in a piece
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 600 g soup vegetables
• 6 sprigs peppermint
• some salt and pepper
• 1 ½ liters of water

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

Place split peas, bacon, 1.2 liters of water, caraway seeds, and bay leaves in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low for 1 hour. Trim and peel the carrot and celery, then dice into 1.5 cm cubes. Trim the leek, halve lengthwise, and rinse. Cut each half into 1 cm cubes. Mix the soup vegetables with the peas, cover, bring to a boil again, and reduce heat to low for another 30 minutes. Remove the bacon from the soup and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, chop the mint leaves. Trim the bacon from the rind and dice finely. Season the stew with salt and pepper and serve with the mint and bacon.