Creole Pea Soup

Ingredients

 * 1 lb. soup meat
 * ¼ lb. salt beef
 * 2 tbsps. oil or margarine
 * ½ cup split peas
 * 2 pints water or stock
 * 1 lb. ground provisions
 * 1 onion
 * 2 tsps. salt (less if salt beef is used)
 * ¼ tsp. black pepper
 * eschallot, celery, thyme

Directions

 * 1) Clean, wash and soak peas overnight.
 * 2) Next day was and cut up eschallot, celery, thyme, onion and meat. Soak salt meat for ½ hour before cutting up.
 * 3) Heat oil till smoking, lightly fry the onion and eschallot and set aside. Brown any lean meat but not bone or salt beef.
 * 4) Put water or stock, meat and peas to cook in a covered pot. Bring to the boil.
 * 5) Skim well and add prepared seasonings. Reduce heat and simmer till peas are thoroughly softened and broken down (about an hour.) Swizzle if necessary.
 * 6) Peel and wash provisions, cut into neat pieces or dice, add to the soup with salt and cook till soft (about 30 minutes.)