Ingredients
1/4 pt split peas
eschalot
celery
thyme
1 onion
1 lb soup meat
4 oz salt beef
2 tbsp oil or margarine
2 pt water or stock
1 lb ground provisions
1/4 tsp black pepper
dumplings (optional)

Method
1 Clean, wash and soak peas overnight.
2 Next day, wash and cut up eschalot, celery, thyme, onion and meat.
Soak salt beef for 30 minutes before cutting up.
3 Heat oil until smoking. Lightly fry the onion and eschalot 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 until
peas are thoroughly softened and broken down-about 1 hour. Swizzle
if necessary.
6 Peel and wash provisions, cut into neat pieces or dice, add to the
soup with black pepper and salt to taste and cook until soft-about
30 minutes.
7 Add dumplings, if liked. Serve very hot.

Serves 12