This is a thick soup made with the dry vegetables of the winter type and fresh summer vegetables. You want split peas, which, of course, you soak for twelve hours in water.
The other vegetables are a head of celery, cut in pieces, and a handful or so of French beans. Boil them all together till tender.
But the flavouring is the essential part of this dish. You want a bouquet of thyme, parsley, bay leaf and garlic, and either a ham bone or bits of bacon rind of "green" bacon, The combination is particularly' rich and good.
A good deal of freshly ground pepper is also necessary.
All these having been brought to the boil and allowed to simmer and reduce for two hours, you remove the bouquet, the bone or the bacon rind; strain the soup through a sieve and mash the vegetables together.
Add to the resulting puree as much of the stock as you need to make a fairly thick soup. Mix well, bring it the boil and serve with or without croutons,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.