Smokey split pea soup

1 1⁄2 cups split peas (yellow or green)

1 bay leaf (fresh or dried)

5 cups water

1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

1. Put water, bay leaf, split peas, and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot.

2. Bring to the boil, stirring often.

3. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for at least an hour, stirring often.

4. Serve as is, or for a smooth soup, use a food processor or immersion blender.

Pressure cooker:
I'm just learning to use a pressure cooker. (Translation: I love their time-saving and power-saving powers, but I'm still scared of them!) This soup took only 20 minutes in the pressure cooker. Yay!