• Sort, rinse and soak the split peas for approximately 10-15 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
• Add the bacon to a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy, approximately 10-12 minutes, stir frequently. If the bacon rendered too much grease remove some before adding the vegetables but leave 1-2 tablespoons in the pot.
• Next, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic, oregano, cumin and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the chicken broth and the bay leaf to the pot. Stir well while gently scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot.
• Drain the split peas well. Add them to the pot and raise the heat to high. When the broth comes to a boil (it will take about 5 minutes), lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
• Cook the soup (covered) for 25 minutes. Keep the broth at a simmer. If it’s boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit. If it’s not simmering raise the heat. Stir occasionally.
• Add the potatoes to the pot. If you were keeping them in water remember to drain them before adding them in. Cover the soup and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes until the split peas break apart and the potatoes are fork tender.
• Stir the soup occasionally at first, and as the soup thickens stir more often. As the split peas fall apart the soup will thicken. It may also be necessary to lower the heat if it’s boiling too vigorously.

Season and serve

• Remove the bay leaf from the pot and discard.
• Taste the soup and add salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra salt to ours.
• Serve the soup with a piece of crusty bread, crackers, rice or on its own.