Split Pea Soup- Hearty Split Pea Soup from the New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon- slab in 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 head garlic cloves peeled & sliced thin
• Salt & pepper
• 1 pound dried green split peas rinsed and picked over
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 1/2 bunch fresh thyme leaves stripped from stems