Split Pea Soup

This one is my own - I wound up with far too much liquid the first time, so I scaled way back. Feel free to mess around with the proportions and figure out what works best for you.

-1 pound split peas
-1 c carrots, diced
-1/2 c onion, finely diced
-4 c chicken stock
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 tsp salt
-2 tsp pepper
-1 tsp garlic salt
-1/2 tsp ground sage
-2 tsp fresh thyme
-ham hock

Wash the peas, then soak overnight.

In a large soup pot, sautee the carrots and onion over medim-high heat in olive oil, add the salt and pepper. Once the onions are translucent, add the rest of the seasonings. Continue to sautee for another minute or two, then add the stock, ham hock and drained peas.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 2 hours. Before serving, remove the ham and pick off any good meat to toss back into the soup.

If your soup is too runny, strain off some of the excess water. Then, remove another 1/2 cup of liquid, whisk a tablespoon of corn starch into it, and add back to the soup. That should help it thicken.

One idea I had was to actually cook a few slices of bacon, then sautee the veggies in the bacon fat. But I didn't have any bacon to try it - let me know if you do, and how it turned out.