Danish Split Pea Soup with Dill

I have loved pea soup since forever, when Gram used to make it on Sundays.  Of course, she used to cook a ham bone in it, and that is no longer my cup of tea, so I have been making a vegetarian version.  Then I came across this Danish split pea soup with dill, and I was intrigued.  It's mostly the same soup, but with the addition of celery, celery root, and carrots, and lots of fresh dill added at the end of cooking.  This changes the color of it a little bit, do don't be freaked out at the slightly less than appealing color or orangeish-brown green!

The recipe suggests adding lightly fried onions at the end along with he dill, but let's be honest here: the dill is the star of this recipe.  It takes pea soup to another level.  The fried onions aren't necessary - but the dill is.  I think I will be adding dill to my pea soups from now on!

I had no celery root, by the way, so I added a couple of potatoes.  I think they thickened it up, maybe a bit too much but I sort of like thick mushy soups!

Recipe:

Danish split pea soup with dill
from Rhubarbarians (best blog name ever)
serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/4 of a celery root, diced
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups dried green split peas, rinsed
1 sprig of thyme
4 tablespoons chopped dill, divided
salt and pepper
2 medium yellow onions, sliced

Instructions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat.  Add the chopped onions and saute until golden, about 15 minutes.

2) Add the next 6 ingredients, through thyme, and half of the dill.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until peas are soft and soup is fragrant.

3) Meanwhile, saute the sliced onions in a skillet over medium high heat until crispy.  Remove from skillet and set aside for topping.

4) Season soup with salt and pepper.  Serve topped with crispy onions and fresh dill.