Foodista | Recipes, Cooking Tips, and Food News | Split-Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 4 slcs thick-cut smoked bacon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 mediums onions finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 celery stalk chopped
• 2 carrots peeled, and
• finely chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
• (or 1 1/2 quarts regular canned
• chicken stock plus 1 cup water
• 1 smoked ham hock - (abt 1 lb) see * Note
• 1 pound dried split peas
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste