Split Pea Soup

This is a friend's split pea soup recipe.  She eats very, very healthily but says that this is a recipe that even "regular people" like.  She encouraged me to taste it, and now it is one of my favorite soups.  I admit it doesn't sound or look as good as it tastes, but it really is an excellent soup.  It is healthy, tasty, easy to make, inexpensive, and it freezes well.

I've always made this soup with green split peas, but our grocery store was out of them so I made it with yellow split peas this time.  It tastes exactly the same, but it does change the look.  Feel free to use either kind.

Split Pea Soup
Adapted from Eleonore

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups split peas (green or yellow), washed
10 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
2 bay leaves
1 3/4 cup carrots, cut into small dice
1 3/4 cup celery, cut into small dice
Dried thyme
Dried rosemary
Dried or fresh dill
Salt

DIRECTIONS:
In the bottom of a large soup pot, saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes.  Add the split peas, ten cups of water, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil (be careful - the starch from the split peas will boil over if left alone), and then simmer for covered for one hour or slightly more, until the peas have broken down.  Add the carrots and celery, a few generous pinches of thyme and rosemary (be generous!), salt, and simmer for 1/2 hour.  Add dill weed (generously) and more salt and cook 5 minutes more.  Taste and add salt if needed.